I’ve received a number of questions from readers about living on the road, so thought I’d summarize them in a single post.  Please keep the questions coming, I’m happy to answer them!

Do you spend more time on highways or backroads?

In general, I try to spend more time on secondary and backroads than highways, just because I think I see more of the world that way, get to discover things that aren’t visible just from the major roads, and have more of a chance of meeting local interesting local people.  Having said that, there are times when I have a definite destination in mind, and just want to put miles on the clock, and the US highway system is fantastic for that.  The roads are wide, safe, and generally well maintained, with plenty of rest areas.  In traveling the northern states as I have been, I’ve especially been on and off of Interstate 90 many times, and it’s a transcontinental highway worthy of note in itself.  Route 90 is the longest interstate highway in the US, at 3,020 miles (4,861 km) long, and spans from Boston in the east to Seattle in the west.  Sometimes it’s a toll road, sometimes it’s high speed, other times it’s a bit more relaxed.  It’s always at least two lanes in each direction and although it carries a lot of traffic, I generally haven’t found it crowded.  In the map below (thanks Wikipedia), Route 90 is marked in red.

Are there many people travelling like you?

Yes and no.  There are a lot of people living on the road in the US, especially because it’s summer.  Many couples and families are travelling in RVs, going from campground to campground.  There are a lot of touring motorcycles on the road, usually travelling in groups, and of course the truckers are always moving.

I’ve met a few single men travelling in their vehicles like I am (we’re general referred to as “road warriors”), either tent camping or sleeping in the back at night, but I haven’t met any other single women doing this, although I’ve met groups of two to four women travelling together.  I had assumed that I would meet other single women travellers, but whenever I’ve asked, I’m the only one people have met.  So there, I’m odd here too.

Do you ever feel lonely?

Surprisingly, no.  I had been prepared to have a few bad days, or maybe even more than a few, when I felt all alone in the world.  But strangely, I’ve felt less alone on this trip than I have for years living in a more civilized manner, with a house and a job.  Part of that may be because I talk to a lot of people — a woman travelling alone seems to be an interesting and non-threating character, so almost everyone is happy to have a chat — but even on the days when I see few people I’m still happy in my own company, so I’m not sure that accounts for it all.  There are days when all I want to do is drive, sing to the radio, not think of much, nap in the sunshine when I want to.  Perhaps I’m not lonely because I’m simply where I want to be right now, doing what I want to be doing, not trying to live up to anyone’s expectations but my own.

Do you ever feel unsafe?

Also no!  I don’t go looking for trouble (much), and I do maintain an awareness of my surroundings and keep my doors locked at night, but still I’m pleasantly pleased with the overwhelming friendliness and helpfulness of everyone I’ve met.  The RVers and truckers give me advice on the best places to sleep or find facilities, things to see and do, or just tell me funny stories from their lives as we have a coffee together.  I once had a younger guy approach me at a truck stop with that classically creepy line, “hey baby, you here alone?,” but then he immediately backed off before I could even get nervous.  Looking behind me, I saw two burly bearded trucker types with their arms crossed giving me backup.  One of them winked at me, we got laughing, and I bought them coffee to say thanks.  Instead of being worried about the guy who approached me, I was left with the better impression of being protected by the truckers.  Although some of them are a bit rough on the outside, they are almost universally sweethearts, with families of their own at home, happy to chat for a while, and tell me that I can count on most of the brotherhood to protect a little travelling sister like me if I need it.  The women truckers say the same, although they generally don’t talk to me much unless I speak first, I assume because I don’t really look like one of them.

Park rangers and campsite hosts are also great sources of information about what to do in the local area.  I get into remote locations, and I visit more populated area, but never once have I felt really threatened or unsafe.

Where do you sleep/shower?

I started out going to campgrounds every night, but for some odd reason, most of them insist on charging me as if I was an RV in need of electrical and water hook ups, instead of as a tent camper who only needs a space and a shower.  That can run between $15 – $40 per night, which adds up quickly!  When I started visiting truck stops, I discovered that I could get a shower there — a really nice hot shower with towels included — for only $10.  That leaves me free to park and sleep wherever I want, including the truck stop parking lots, Walmart parking lots (where an RV and truck community forms every night and dissipates every morning), farmers’ fields, dirt roads, trail heads, etc.  The picture below is a Walmart parking lot in the morning — the store encourages this use, and allows us to use bathrooms, etc.

I prefer more remote and natural locations when possible, and my FJ can get me in and out of places where another vehicle might not go.  And every couple of weeks a night in an inexpensive hotel helps me recharge, do some cleaning, and get reorganized.

How do you navigate and decide where to go?

I have a general plan of circling the country counter-clockwise, northern states in the summer, southern states in the winter, but really I’m not planning more than a day or two in advance.  I talk to people as I travel, and get ideas from other people’s experiences, but mostly I look at the map each night and just pick someplace within a reasonable driving distance that looks interesting, maybe has a funny name or a high Google rating.  As for getting there, if you’ve been reading along you’re aware of my ongoing battle with my Garmin GPS, but really, between it and Google maps on my phone, I haven’t had too many problems.  I do mess with the GPS a bit, like when I was travelling trough the Crow Indian Reservation in eastern Montana, where I turned on the function that made it pronounce all the place names.  I probably laughed a bit too hard at this…

But it seems to have the ability to retaliate, since it dropped all road names for the rest of the day, and just kept saying “follow the road,” instead of giving actual directions.

Has anything gone wrong?

What’s an adventure without challenges?  Yes, things have gone wrong, but only a couple of times.  First, I discovered that the police in Wyoming drive massive Dodge Ram pickup trucks, but are exceedingly polite and gentlemanly.  He got me going 44 mph in a 30 zone, and I simply acknowledged that I was indeed, and really had no excuse.  I got a ticket, and he told me to be safe, the entire interaction lasted about 5 minutes.  Considering that I’ve actually budgeted fine money for doing about four illegal things on this trip, I think I’m right on budget!

The slightly larger issue occurred when I was crossing the Continental Divide on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana.  An oncoming truck on a gravel road kicked up a stone and cracked my windshield rather badly, and as I travelled an additional 20 miles of gravel back to the nearest town, the crack was obviously spreading.

Unable to get it replaced at the Toyota dealership in the nearest city of Kalispell, I made a dash for Spokane Valley, WA, with the cracks moving another half inch along the way, where I was told that I could have had it replaced at Toyota — but Dave is on vacation this week.  His assistant/apprentice was very nice and suggested I try Grizzly Glass (who also know Dave, as it turns out).  They got me in the next morning, and now I have a brand new windshield. It’s just as well that I went for the smaller deductable on my car insurance, since from now on everything will be covered, and after all I’m only two months into this trip, with a long road ahead.

I think that mostly covers the questions I’ve received for now, but if you have any more, please feel free to ask, I love feeling connected with you all!