Hannah Rose Goes

When I was in high school, my home life at my father’s house was… not the best. And one of my (better) coping mechanisms was to get in my car and drive along the California coast. I would blast some overly dramatic music and let the miles disappear beneath my wheels – at least until I had to make it home for dinner. The newfound freedom of my driver’s license, combined with the sight and smell of the ocean, made me feel like the world wasn’t quite so bad.

And while I wouldn’t say that I have a tendency to run away from my problems, I can’t promise that I don’t drive away from them.

When my parents divorced when I was 13 years old, my mom and I went on a “Girl Power Roadtrip,” as my mom dubbed it. The two of us loaded up into her Honda CRV with our camping supplies and went to some of the national parks around the southwest and beyond. We hiked, explored, talked about life, and listened to Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” on repeat. (My mom may have regretted putting me in charge of music for the drive.)

And somehow, big roadtrips always seemed to be necessary in the wake of relationship woes. When my mom was separated from my stepdad, we took a couple weeks to do our Girl Power Roadtrip part 2. That time, we headed north, exploring some of the Canadian national parks.

So when I was going through my divorce, my natural inclination was to figure out how long a roadtrip I could feasibly do. The answer, as it turned out, was about 6 and a half weeks. And somehow, once again, I loaded up into my mom’s Honda CRV (not the same one from 2000, to be clear) and set out to explore some of the national parks in the southwest – visiting some that I hadn’t been to since that trip when I was 13 years old, and some others I’d never been to before.

This time, I was traveling solo. I was meeting up with friends for a few days here and there, and my mom was joining me for the last week of the trip. But the bulk of the adventure – and the driving – was on my own. And it was one of the most empowering experiences of my life. It was fun, it was challenging, and – best of all – I freaking did it! I think I had to prove that I could – that I could do this on my own.

I really try not to run away from my problems. But sometimes driving away from them is the best way for me to put them in perspective.