THE END OF THE ROAD A final round up and reflection on the last 110 days of amazing travel around America. It's been lovely catching up with friends back in New York, but also rather surreal, as if the last 4 months didn't happen, so this is really for me a nice way to think back through my adventure. Here are some quick stats... Over 12,000 miles driven Through 29 states and 1 district Furthest North - Polebridge, Montana, about 20 miles from Canadian border Furthest West - was also Polebridge, Montana Furthest South - a fine line between Marfa and Austin both in Texas (I should really check out their long and lat) Furthest East - Bar Harbour, Maine Highest elevation 12,000ft No speeding tickets or parking fines and never pulled over by the police, and amazingly no major problems with The Beast. ...and a couple of final thoughts. EVERYONE HAS A STORY My mum used to say that my sister and I had 'a face that launched a thousand conversations' - basically anyone would talk to us... I guess we look fairly safe! And I definitely felt that out on the road. I spoke to people from all walks of life aged 17-70 and everyone had something to tell me and teach me, but I was also amazed how happy they were to open up to a stranger. They told me tales of broken marriages, children they needed to reconnect with, desires to do what I was doing, stories about interrogation in Afganistan, volcanos on Mars, and where to find the best bourbon in Kentucky. People offered to share food, drinks and invited me into their homes. I learnt more about America and Americans in my four months on the road than I did in my previous three years and there are a lot of amazing people here. NO SHAME IN COMFORT When I first jumped in The Beast I had barely driven a car in the last three years... it's New York. The first few days of driving were therefore a bit of a killer. My arms and legs ached, my back was sore and I had a red welt in my neck from the seatbelt. So I stopped at a store and picked up a booster cushion and one of those furry seatbelt wraps and was soooo much happier! No shame in comfort people... none at all (I even considered the chair massager!). THE HIGHS & THE LOWS When I think back over the last 4 months the moments that really stand out are Montana, my favourite state and Glacier National Park; Jackson, Wyoming, my favourite town with the soaring Tetons in the background and my wonderful oil painting course; Burnt Well Ranch and having a glimpse into ranch life in New Mexico; the film festival in crazy Marfa and the Austin City Limits Festival in weird and wonderful Austin. But there were a couple of hairier moments; when I was on a hike and bumped into two guys one carrying a machete and no one else in sight - I ended up doing a really long walk away from them and then having to loop back to The Beast and pegged it out of there. Some long stretches of rather dull driving (oh Iowa) and times when I would have loved to sit and have a beer with a friend rather than need to strike up a conversation with another stranger. The balance though is so much greater with the highs, I would happily jump back in The Beast tomorrow! THE END OF THE ROAD (ish) So there we have it, as many of you know I've decided to move back to Australia. It literally hit me as I drove over the state line of Alabama and saw their welcome sign 'Sweet Home Alabama', and I realised my sweet home was Australia. I'm sad to say goodbye to friends here and excited to say hello to my friends back in Oz, where I'm already thinking a roadtrip around Australia in the not too distant future might be a great idea! Thanks to everyone for reading this blog, it was great to feel like I was driving with friends.








