MY CROSS-COUNTRY DRIVE TO ARIZONA

After a quick final exam on all I had learned during my rotation, I headed back to the apartment at which I was staying and packed up my belongings. This process took a good deal longer than I had anticipated which put me a couple of hours behind my planned departure time. Eventually, however, I was on the open road. My first stop was Springfield, MO after about 9 hours on the road. I pulled into the parking lot of Waffle House and booked a hotel on HotWire. This was my first experience with HotWire and it turned out to be a good one. I ended up in a nice hotel with a large central atrium and a Starbucks in the lobby. Dinner came in the form of a double cheeseburger and fries from Steak and Shake. It was the first place I passed and I was starving. Carrying the belongings I’d need to take advantage of the opportunities for activities in Arizona and Utah meant that my car was crammed full. It also meant that settling into the hotel for the night was a logistical challenge. I wasn’t about to leave golf clubs, backpacking gear, a video editing PC, camera gear and three months worth of clothes in a dimly lit parking lot all night. Luckily, the hotel had big luggage carts. Eventually I made it inside and ate my cheeseburger at a Formica covered hotel desk before turning in for the night. 

Upon waking up, I was immediately filled with dread over having to pack all of my belongings back out to my car. It was then that I decided I’d go against my original plan to split the remaining 20 hours of drive time over two days. Rather, I was going to drive from Springfield, MO to Tucson, AZ in a single sitting. After running back in to grab a coffee from the Starbucks in the hotel lobby, I started down the highway.

Hours passed along with audible audiobook chapters, each gas stop bringing an opportunity to elevate my caffeine levels. As I drove through Oklahoma I finally realized that I essentially hadn’t eaten in about sixteen hours, prompting a stop at a rural Subway. The sandwich craftsman behind the counter looked shocked when I entered; he must’ve not seen a customer in some time. I’m not sure if it was my hunger or the level of effort put into making that sandwich, but it was the best I’d ever had. Rejuvenated, I continued toward Tucson.

Eventually, the landscape began to change. The rolling hills and greenery to which I was accustomed were replaced by rocky plateaus and distant mountains. This was especially evident as I drove into the land of enchantment. This was my first time in New Mexico. The scenery was sublime. The drivers were not. I honestly felt lucky to get past Albuquerque unscathed. I continued through New Mexico traveling south, and as the sun set over the mountains in the western sky, I made one last gas stop in Truth or Consequences. Just a bit further and I turned to head west on I-10, my final direction change on the way to Tucson. At this point I had driven three hours more than I had originally planned (with an original stopping point in Albuquerque) and the fatigue began to set in. Just a couple of hours from Tucson, I was determined to make it without stopping. A combination of caffeine, EDM, and rock music gave my mind what it needed to stay awake, and before I knew it I was in Tucson for the first time in my life. I pulled into my friend’s driveway, and after mounting a search for the key he’d hidden for me to get in (he was working a night shift) I walked in the door, unloaded my belongings, made friends with his pitbull, and fell asleep around 2am. I had successfully completed the trip, and was DVT free. Check out the film above to share in the experience!