Averaging almost 800 miles per day, I had only the one goal of getting home. Five weeks is a long time to be away from family; I was homecoming-ready.
While not the most direct path, the route I drove was likely to avoid bad weather during the heart of winter. Very unlike me, I stayed on Interstate Highway System the whole time. It’s wildly difficult for me to fight the temptations of visiting attractions but I had a goal which helped. I wanted to learn how quickly I could cross the country by car. I now know: four days. The most direct path would have been six hours shorter so DC-to-SF can be done comfortably by a single driver in 3 1/2 days.
“Comfortably”?
Actually yes. While I normally have a high tolerance for distance driving, I’m not one who usually drives 12-hours per day non-stop. I mean a full half day actually behind the wheel and driving. This intensity is quite different from my usual interrupted driving which may go on for 15 hours but is interspersed with lots of interesting stops. The reason I was able to do it is that this time I was exhausted from all the bicycle riding I had done in the Bay Area. Well-slept but physically spent I was able to drop into a zen-like trance as I rolled across the U.S. listening to podcasts. Not a bad way to get from A to B.
When I arrived …
breakfast with Courtney was really GREAT,
catching-up with Kelsey was “totes fab,”
and hugs from Beth felt wonderful!!!
It’s good to be home.
by 
