Tulsa, OK and Sedona, AZ (with SC and TX Stops Along the Way)
I’m officially in the midst of Phase 2 of my travels, and so much has changed.
October through December, I eased back into Charleston life with my familiar walking routes, restaurants, activities, and friends. I was grateful to have a solid, comforting backdrop because my life was changing in scary and exciting ways (lives tend to do that, I’m realizing).
I said goodbye to my family’s beloved 14-year-old dog, Max; I celebrated my 23rd birthday; I attended a family wedding; I saw concerts; I joined an excited audience for my sister’s college acceptance letters; I got new tattoos; I started attending regular yoga classes; I started exploring ways to advance my career; I reunited with college friends traveling home for the holidays from around the world; and I got a heaping handful of parking tickets from the City of Charleston.
As the year came to an end, reflection and reorientation were in the air. My last big 2024 update is that Taylor and I decided to end our relationship. Nothing went wrong at all, but the right thing just became different. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I still count myself lucky because the love is what makes it so hard. Even breaking up was a loving act of pushing each other toward our respective goals and dreams.
All of these changes reminded me how valuable it is to spend quality time with the people I love. To cherish the opened doors while they’re open, to close the doors with love when they need to be closed, and to embrace the doors that open when others close.
In the 2025 chapter of my travels, to prioritize my time with loved ones, I decided to change my traveling style. Instead of spending a month at each destination, I am booking it to my people in California and Washinton and spending most of my time there.
Booking it is actually probably not the best way to characterize my traveling. Since I’m still working full-time, I can only drive on weekends because I have to settle during the week. On weekends alone, I’ve driven over 2,000 miles in the last two weeks. Here are the highlights!
Kure Beach, NC to Raleigh, NC
After work on Thursday, January 9th, I drove out to my sister Molly’s house in Raleigh. I didn’t get to spend enough time with her over the holidays, so I decided leaving from Raleigh to get an extra Molly night would be better than leaving from KB.
Raleigh, NC to Atlanta, GA Anderson, SC
Unfortunately, the travel dates I picked months ago ended up putting me on a very snowy path. Fortunately, my mom signed on for the first leg of my travels, so I didn’t brave it alone. On Friday, January 10th, we hoped to make it to my aunt’s house in Atlanta, but the roads got too icy. After about five hours of driving, we stopped for the night in Anderson, SC.
Anderson, SC to Tulsa, OK
On Saturday, January 11th, the roads were clear enough to make our 14-hour trek to Tulsa where mom flew out from on Sunday and I spent the following week.
Since I was getting reaccustomed to living and working while traveling, my activities in Tulsa were mainly limited to walking around the neighborhood and touring the dog parks. While the dogs were a little rough for Miss Priss Pepper, the people were very friendly, and I was left pondering if Oklahoma was introducing me to Midwest Nice or a different brand of Southern Hospitality. I decided that Oklahoma is more midwestern than southern, but I’m open to feedback there.
Tulsa, OK to Amarillo, TX
On Saturday, January 18th, I left Tulsa for a stop-over night in Amarillo. During this five-hour drive, I started to see the changing landscapes that make a cross-country road trip interesting. I’ve never driven west of Mississippi, so I was excited to watch as wind farms and cattle ranches expanded beyond my eye’s reach. (Side note: I got glasses for the first time in December, and I’m happy to report that my eye’s reach is a lot longer and clearer now!)
About 45 minutes from Amarillo, snow started falling, and I was grateful to be pulling into my hotel just before it started to stick.
Amarillo, TX to Sedona, AZ
On Sunday, January 19th, it was 8°F when I left Amarillo. As terrible as a 14-hour drive sounds, I couldn’t get bored or tired along I-40 through New Mexico and Arizona.
(See below for some time lapses of my drive!)
While in Arizona, Pepper and I also dedicated a day to exploring the Grand Canyon! It was about 2.5 hours away from the Airbnb, but I’m glad we made the trip (even if it was unbelievably cold).
As my Sedona time comes to a close, I am getting more and more excited to be coming up on my first destination of the year where I’ll spend a whole weekend and get to see friends! Stay tuned!