AND HERE I GO! New Mexico to Colorado to South Dakota

The journey has finally started! As I'm writing this I'm sitting in a coffee shop in the small town of Mitchell, South Dakota. So far, it's been a hot and humid day with plenty of sunshine and no tornados in sight. You might be thinking, who goes to South Dakota for a trip? Well, to answer your question, I do! Having a couple of cousins to stay with was a big factor in deciding to start my trip in the northern midwestern states.

I guess you might also be wondering how I got from Phoenix, Arizona to Mitchell, South Dakota. Well I've been busy stressing out so I didn't find the time to write until now about that trip. So here goes.

Phoenix, Arizona. I said goodbye to people I love. It was not a fun ordeal, but I got through it. I drove through to New Mexico. Nothing exciting to relive to you. Only I was still in New Mexico when the sun came down and let me tell you, it is a beautiful state! There is so much variety in the landscape. From mountains, to rolling hills, to flat lands, I was pleasantly surprised driving through.

Well a hundred bucks later in gas I made it to my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado.
Pueblo, Colorado. Stress and frustration kick in. The next day after I arrive I noticed I had a flat tire. Turns out a nail had punctured my tire and decided it's life was over. On the positive side, I now have two new tires ready for the road and experience using my jack to lift the car.

Another round of saying goodbye to people I love, and I was on my road trip (officially). I drove 13 hours. Along the way, I saw corn fields galore! South Dakota is a very picturesque place. I know many people that say it is a boring drive through all the corn fields and flatter land. Well, I may have to disagree. Sunsets make everything seem a little more magical. The fields lit up into what seemed like miles of golden wheat fields and rows upon rows of green veggies. Roadkill scattered the highway and there was always some unknown creature that was pulverized. So I would try to guess what it might have been when it was alive. Oh, I'm sorry. Was that a little strange? Well if you want to know how to pass the time on an endless stretch of road, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Well aside from my temporary insanity to entertain myself when I'm bored, South Dakota has been a very inviting place to travel through. The small town next to Mitchell where my cousin lives is the cutest place! While I was driving around the maybe 100 house, 1 school, 1 bar town every person I passed waved hello. Now how nice is a place like that?! So far so good. On to the next day!

-K. Pisciotta

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF: Finding courage

And so the stress begins.

The full scale of what I'm doing is taking effect now and my nerves are starting to shake a little. As the time of departure nears, I can admit that I'm scared. Moving away from everything you know and everyone you know can really make a person think about all the things that could go wrong and the things you will miss. Now is the time to find courage.

It's a strange feeling to be overwhelmingly excited and overwhelmingly scared. I don't think I was even this nervous when I left home for college. I was still with hometown friends and my family still supported me and I knew the next time I would see them for specific holidays. But this, this is different. I'm completely clueless as to when the next time I'll see my friends and family again. For once, I will really be on my own.

When I get overwhelmingly excited about this trip though, that is when I know it is worth all the stress and saddness about leaving the things I know.

It's funny how many things we take for granted until we are about to be pulled away from it all. I will miss the land (even though I thought I was sick of the same place after 5 years), I will miss my friends and family (even though I thought I was sick of it after 23....I joke!). But I know that what I am doing is helping me become the person I want to be. I don't want to take things for granted, and I want to experience everything as if it was the last time I will see it! That is the kind of life I want. So with as much fear as there is about the unknown, I will not let it rule me. Whatever happens along the way whether "good" or "bad" will be part of my experience and I wouldn't take any of it away.
-K.P.

The Wagon.