My Senior Trip
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“You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you!” ...and so I started my 3-month backpacking and running trip across America in the summer of 2019, two weeks after graduation and touring across Ohio and Virginia with my incredible parents and aunt and uncle who were able to visit me in the US for the first time. | 🇺🇸 All across the United States of America |
As I haven't done much interesting traveling since - hello pandemic - I decided to share this backpacking trip with you from before (~1 month) and right after (~1.5 weeks) the 4K for Cancer run to jump start my blog!
Pre-4K
…And so the adventure begins, an adventure of a life changing journey! It may not be the senior trip across the globe that I’ve been hoping and saving for since Sophomore year, but who can say one backpacked and ran across America?! Excited to visit many friends and States before running back to the East Coast on June 16th. Very ready to explore 18 more States in the next 3 months before moving to Blacksburg mid-August.
The bittersweet moment of leaving and real goodbyes has arrived... A huge thank you to my amazing boyfriend Caden for co-organizing an incredible last day together in Ohio and going the Columbus Zoo and Cheesecake Factory. Transitioning to a long-distance relationship for the next X months or even years will not be easy, but we got this, lieverd. I love you so much. Also big shout out to Lexi and her brother Zane for hosting me in Columbus last night! Ohio, you’ve been great! Now, off to Iowa and many, other adventures…
Had a blast in corn country state Iowa. I ran many, many miles on actual hills (who claimed this state to be flat?! 🤨) while my friends & amazing hosts Bre, Ryan and Maeve (🐶) were at work and doggy day care. We almost got struck by a tornado but saw the most beautiful sunsets from what was called the “Lion Bridge” - Maeve didn’t like the lion statues as much as we did though... Also got to teach my friends about The Netherlands when we visited an old Dutch immigrant town called “Pella”. Apparently over 800 Dutchies moved there and founded the town in the 1800s! Now, off to Miami to see my friend Rachel and go to the Florida Keys!
The gorgeous wildlife and clearwater beaches of the Florida Keys will forever have a special place in my heart, even though we had some interesting experiences... When I said I was ready for an adventure this summer, I didn’t think I would fight off some water bugs/cockroaches in our first airbnb, which actually brought us to a much nicer and sparkling clean airbnb host with a great location at the ocean! ⠀
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Also being a witness & first responder at a brutal car crash wasn’t really on my bucket list, but I am forever blessed and grateful that we are fully safe & healthy and were able to help 2 families get out of the head-on collision wreck at the US 1 Overseas Highway. ⠀
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For sure going to miss this tropical paradise and hanging out in the sun and the ocean 24/7 with one of my best friends. Got a good souvenir tan. Now, off to “tornado country” Kansas and Missouri to visit my friend and former housemate Sam!
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Also being a witness & first responder at a brutal car crash wasn’t really on my bucket list, but I am forever blessed and grateful that we are fully safe & healthy and were able to help 2 families get out of the head-on collision wreck at the US 1 Overseas Highway. ⠀
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For sure going to miss this tropical paradise and hanging out in the sun and the ocean 24/7 with one of my best friends. Got a good souvenir tan. Now, off to “tornado country” Kansas and Missouri to visit my friend and former housemate Sam!
Thank you, Sam, Jeff and Michelle, for hosting me in Kansas City and take me on a tour downtown and surrounding areas. The WW1 memorial & museum is now one of my most favorite and impressive museums that I’ve been too, especially the view from the tower! Also learned more about European history in a day than I’ve had during High School when I didn’t think history was interesting. Shout out to 4K teammate & co-director Mads for meeting up with me for a run in Kansas City! And a big shout out to Allison for visiting me for 2 days after a 3.5-hour drive from Missouri 🥰 ⠀
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Can’t wait to be back in about a month when the 4K for Cancer runs through Kansas City and St. Louis! Now, off to my last stop before San Francisco... Phoenix! Excited to meet another teammate today Jay!
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Can’t wait to be back in about a month when the 4K for Cancer runs through Kansas City and St. Louis! Now, off to my last stop before San Francisco... Phoenix! Excited to meet another teammate today Jay!
Cactus country Arizona was a blast, they even had my favorite palm trees here in Phoenix! The dry heat of the Arizona desert honestly felt like a relief in comparison to the previous 80-90% humidity in Kansas City and the Florida Keys. Also literally climbed the “extremely difficult” trail of the Camelback Mountain covering a 400m (1400ft) elevation gain with 4K teammate Jay. Great start of an even greater journey with my teammates! Off to Los Angeles and San Francisco: the final stop before we run back to the East Coast...
Post-4K
So grateful I was able to spend a week with my boyfriend AND my family to explore the Maryland and Virginia area of the American East Coast. We got to enjoy baby Bryce, witness some of his first steps at DC’s capitol, and remember his courageous big little sister Leighton Hailey with their incredible parents, my cousin(s), Danny & Sharona. Caden and Washington DC also taught us A LOT of American History through the national monuments at the mall, the Capitol Building, the Arlington Cemetery & Changing of the Guard, and of course several museums such as the Library of Congress, National Archives, Natural history, and American history. President Lincoln, Kennedy and George Washington were pretty cool and may now be my favorite presidents! Especially since we 4K ran some of their important military roads from before and during the Civil and Revolutionary Wars! Now, off to Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, VA, my final stop of the best summer of all...⠀
After a quick stop at Shenandoah National Park and Dark Hollow Falls, Caden brought me to my final stop of my senior trip: Blacksburg in Virginia. Goodbyes never get easy... Catching up with Erin this weekend before meeting my new roomies Monday when we move into our townhouse! Starting VT’s grad school in 2 weeks... Could not have wished for a better Summer. Big thanks to my friends & family for hosting and supporting me.
Next month, I will post one more 4K-related blog in honor of the current virtual 4K for Cancer 2020 participants who have decided to still continue to raise awareness and funds for the Ulman Foundation even though the pandemic canceled their physical run across the country. Good luck 2020 4K-ers!