Middle of Nowhere, WI: Que Sehra

Leaving Illinois was bittersweet.. bitter because I fell in love with the serene Gibson City, sweet because my journey is young and there is much more to see and experience. The hosts I connected with in Wisconsin sound great and I'm eager to get there. Driving out of the farmland, I was happy. Enormous windmills surrounded me and there are access roads to drive between them. The weather was warm, sunny, and breezy, perfect for riding with my windows down and music blasting. And it turns out that about 30 minutes in the direction opposite of where I drove in to the city was a bigger city with chain restaurants and stores, just in case I needed more civilization. 

Chicago, IL: 2013 V 2016

July 2013. One of my best friends graduated with her Master's degree from an online school based out of Chicago. The graduation happened to coincide with her birthday; she, our other friend, and I had never been to the city and we figured there is no better reason than a double celebration! And away we went...

Gibson City, IL: What to do?

Given how much I am in love with this little city, I have decided to take my time here and breathe it all in before going to Chicago. You may be wondering.. with Gibson City being a one stoplight town, what is there to even do there? Well, as a visitor who knows no one, not a whole lot of activities are going on, but there is enough to be entertained. Yesterday downtown and the neighborhoods were explored, so today Neville and I went deeper into the neighborhoods. I have noticed that most of the homes here have an American flag painted on some type of wood and proudly displayed outside. 'Merica! Surrounded by cornfields, kind locals, and bright skies, I could have wandered for days. Really, I'm not even sure why cars are necessary here. 

Gibson City, IL: One Stoplight Town

Initially my plan was to go to Indiana after Missouri. I had a WWOOF host secured and was in contact with him when I was finally free to head that way. When I reached out to him to confirm, he gave me different information, as in he wanted me to meet him at his office, he wasn’t sure if Neville was good there, and my trailer would ‘probably’ fit. I had a weird feeling in my gut and already missed 4th of July with my friends there, so I ran the information by Mom who hated the sound of him and asked me not to go. Granted, she had been watching a lot of Criminal Minds, but with both of us feeling uncomfortable I decided to skip Indiana. I informed my would-be host of this and his responses made me happy with my decision to continue on. Chicago was the next city I wanted to be close to and I found a campground about 2 hours away in Gibson City. Once I had this destination locked in and was on my way, I felt much better.  

Helen, GA: Stovall House

573 miles later, my crew and I arrive at our first official stop: Helen, GA.

"Life is a journey; not a destination." That quote is the theme of this trip so far (points to anyone who sang it as they read it). Instead of focusing on all that has gone wrong in the first 48 hours- and believe me, there has been a lot- I'm choosing to be thankful for all of the things that have gone right. All two of them. 

Tampa, FL: Take Off

Since I bought my travel trailer I have been waiting for a name for it to hit me. I don't like to rush these decisions, I like for the name to fit. Hell, it took me a few weeks to pick 'Neville' for the pup. Then one day, while chatting with a coworker,  in a moment it happened- she was christened! But first, a story.

Tampa, FL: 4 Weeks Out

             This is me, Bex                                        This is Neville

                                       And this is soon to be our home