America, We Have Arrived

Volume I : Chapter I 

Things were off to a very slow start, months of planning still left us with a laundry list pages long of errands and unfinished business. This was made infinitely more annoying to complete due to the fact that we were both now homeless and living in the trailer. We had our going away party in Vancouver with some of our best pals and everyone got to take a look at where we would be spending the next few months of our lives. We decided that our going away was to be exactly that, our kickoff to leave town even if we weren’t ready.

We ended up having to park in my dad’s driveway in the suburbs and get things settled. Endless vacation was starting to become a lot of work. What was supposed to take us a day ended up taking four and so at 8pm on the last night, we made a run for the border. We cross often and are used to the usual stresses but a lot weighed on this one. We had quit our jobs, given up our homes, packed everything we didn’t sell off all into the trailer. All we had left were crossed fingers and a road atlas. We were shaking and well aware explaining to border control that we're homeless and unemployed with no return ticket was not something they ever wanted to hear.  I guess if you want to have it all, you’ve gotta let it all go.

We got pulled in right away, searched thoroughly, left to rot for an hour, hanging in anticipation. What if we got turned away? What was this all for? Does this whole plan end only a few miles from my house? We had nothing to go back to at this point, it felt as if we had put it all on red and closed our eyes awaiting the spin. I believe our saving grace rested on the back table in cracked old binder with ripped pages and endless illegible text. For the last year we had been keeping a tabbed binder, organized by state, of all the things we wanted to see one day. Maintained with great love and enthusiasm each state had photos, cut outs, maps, lists and lists of places to see; our Great American Bucket List. I guess the guard had found it and with the obvious purpose of our trip laid out in front of him, we were let in.

America, we have arrived.

Words by: Kyla Trethewey

 

Start reading from our first day on the road or see all of our travel posts.