The Road to Arizona (Part 3 - Road Trip!!)

Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Thank you for sticking with me while I get through this story. I think that this should be the last part of the story of how I got here. Moving forward I'll be sharing some of the amazing things I've seen since I moved here and I'll also start sharing more of my vegan food and just my day to day life in general. We are moving into my first Arizona summer and let me tell you I am NERVOUS 😂 We hit 100 degrees for the first time back in April which is pretty early. So I'll share what I do to escape the blazing heat and the meals I make to cool down and avoid heating my apartment up too much.

Anyway, back to business. Once I got home from Arizona the ball was rolling and there was no stopping it. I submitted my letter of resignation. I was still applying for jobs while packing. I had 2 and a half weeks to figure out what was most important to me as I have a small car with minimal space. I had to choose wisely. I would purchase my furniture once I got to Arizona. I only brought an air mattress so I had somewhere to sleep. 

Since I was leaving on such short notice no one was able to make the trip with me so I was going on a cross country solo road trip with my entire life in my car. It was a little nerve wracking as a solo female but I knew I would be ok. I would just be smart, careful and aware of my surroundings at all times. I spent most of the time in my car driving and when I stopped at night I was so tired I didn't want to go anywhere anyway except to grab dinner. 

This may seem crazy but I did not book a single hotel before I left. I booked my hotel for that night a few hours out. This ended up being a smart idea because my route changed a couple of times so I didn't end up stopping in the cities I thought I would. I enjoyed having the time to myself. It was quiet, I kept myself zoned in by listening to podcasts and I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without having to worry about someone getting upset or mad about it.

Since it was December, sunset was pretty early so I ended up getting to the hotels after dark. I actually was happy about that because the parking lots were well lit enough for me to feel safe walking in but it was dark enough so people wouldn't see how much stuff I had in my car. It was a huge source of concern for me that someone would see everything in the car and I would get broken into but it ended up being totally fine. I brought everything visible on the back seat up to the room with me and everything else was fine.

Since this is also a vegan blog I will mention what I did for food along the way. I wanted to be as cost effective as possible since I was not working at the time, had just paid rent and had to pay for hotels and gas along the way. Additionally, it can be difficult finding vegan options on the road, nevermind gluten free vegan options. My plan was to bring some gluten free vegan food with me for breakfast and lunch and I would find a place for dinner at night once I had checked in. I brought a box of cereal with individual sized shelf stable plant milk. I would put on box of milk in the fridge the night before and it was enough for my cereal and coffee in the morning. I had apples to eat with it or I grabbed a banana from the continental breakfast if there was one. I had all kinds of snacks to eat in the car if I got hungry but I never really got super hungry during the day where I needed anything more than that. Once I checked in I would look for vegan options and grab a meal. Chipotle is a pretty safe option for gluten free vegans on the road. They are everywhere, have tons of vegan options and take allergies very seriously. I was so tired at that point from driving 10-14 hours myself, I just fed myself, showered and collapsed into bed. After my 14 hour day I didn't even bother getting dinner, I just had a snack, took a shower and went to bed.

Before I left I went to REI and got myself the America the Beautiful pass. Since I was going to be living in Tucson I knew it would pay off since I could use it for both sides of Saguaro and also Sabino Canyon. I also hope to get up to the Grand Canyon and up to the Utah parks too. On my way to Tucson I stopped in Carlsbad, NM to check out Carslbad Caverns. It was on my list when I lived in New Mexico but I didn't have a chance to go before I left. I am so happy that I decided to go because it was a perfect way to break up the last day of driving and it was absolutely incredible. If you are into caves you HAVE to go. I'll do a whole separate post on Carlsbad Caverns with lots of pics but I'll share one with you here too. 

The trip took 4 days and I covered 13 states. My route changed a couple of times and my plan changed a few times. Overall it was a great experience. I really enjoyed the time to myself, the peace and quiet and having a chance to center myself as I started the next chapter of my life. I proved to myself that I could do it alone and it felt amazing. 

I arrived in Tucson on December 5 and moved into my apartment (I have since moved out of that one and into one that I LOVE). I hit Indeed again, landed an interview for an incredibly interesting company and two weeks after I arrived in Tucson I had a job offer. I've been there for 5 months and I love it. The company is wonderful, my coworkers are great (I've been hiking with some of them and I went to the Tucson Gem Show with another!), I feel valued and appreciated. For the first time ever, I'm truly happy where I work. 

And that is where we are now. I moved into my new apartment recently and I have my new life and new routine. I still have moments of "HOLY SHIT I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT' but it's feeling more real now. I took a risk to save my life and it paid off. I couldn't be more grateful for that.

I do want to mention that I was in a position where I could take these risks. I had saved since the pandemic began and I was confident that I would be able to find a job. I was nervous and I knew that I would take a hit financially but I didn't feel like I had a choice. With that said, if you are miserable and feel like your only option is to get the hell out of dodge, to quit your job, etc., do it if you can. I would recommend getting yourself into the best financial position that you possibly can before you do. But please honor yourself, your mental health and your life.

Thank you again for bearing with me during this epic story time 😂 Moving forward my posts will be more normal. I will still be sharing pictures from my first few months here but it will still be more along the lines of what my daily posts will be. Since I won't be hiking much over the summer (heat plus rattlesnakes, no thanks!) I'll be able to share the previous hikes I've done and I'll be including more vegan food posts (local restaurants, meal prep, What I Eat In A Day, budget grocery hauls, etc.).

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! I'll see you on Tuesday!