My Grand Solo Road Trip
Hi friends. I did something a little impulsive last month—I decided to take a solo road trip from Chicago to Denver to Kansas City to Lexington, MI back to Chicago (about 2800 total miles). And let me tell you, it was quite the adventure!
Day One - Chicago to Omaha
You know that feeling when you’re first starting out on any adventure and it feels like you could conquer the world? Well, that’s how day one felt. I drove for about 7 hours and did not start feeling tired or uncomfortable or annoyed until I was 30 minutes from Omaha. I would say all in all a pretty successful driving day!
I made a bit of a pit stop in Iowa (which isn’t flat and is absolutely beautiful) to visit one of the cutest farms: Under a Tin Roof. If you’re ever driving down I-80 and totally bored (or just need a break), stop at their store. They have wonderful produce and flowers and local handmade goods. It was maybe the best pit stop I made on my entire trip!
Day Two - Omaha to Denver
Day two started pretty early because I was itching, to get to the mountains of Colorado. Honestly it was a pretty uneventful 7 hour drive. I did come across miles of CAFOs which smelled disgusting and reminded of the sad state of our food industry.
For those of you who don’t know CAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are gigantic fields of cows and pigs that are purely being raised for human consumption in the cheapest way possible. They have little to no space and no grass—instead the ground is mud mixed with their own waste. They are deeply unpleasant, unsettling places that everyone should see at least once in their life if only to make an informed decision when consuming meat. CAFOs are one of the reasons I don’t typically eat meat, and when I do it is from farms that I trust whose cows are grass fed and grass finished.
Anyway, here are some pretty pictures from the drive.
I also made a brief pitstop in North Platte Nebraska which really reminded me of Portland, IN complete with a yellow Victorian house and a small used bookstore on the main street.
Finally, I made it to Denver where I ended my night by attending a house party that I was definitely too old to be at. It was pretty fun nonetheless.
Day Three - Denver
I say Denver, but I mostly spent day three in Boulder, about 20 minutes north of Denver. I have some issues with the Denver area (mainly lack of diversity), but oh man, those mountains! I knew I missed them, but I had no idea how much. I would move there tomorrow if it meant being within driving distance of those beauties!
I spent most of the day wandering through downtown Boulder buying entirely too many books and then sitting right here in front of the foothills reading those books. Honestly one of the most wonderfully peaceful moments I’ve had in a while.
Then came the most expensive (and exciting!) part of my Denver adventure—a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. I now have a favorite concert venue. Yes, there are a million stairs to get to the venue, and no I hadn’t adjusted to the elevation yet, but it was so worth it if only for the view of the entire Denver area!
Day Four - Denver to Kansas City
My time in the Denver area was entirely too short! I did have a chance to stop in Golden before leaving for Kansas City to pick up some coffee at Pangea Coffee Roasters at the recommendation of my cousin. It was incredible! I wan’t overly impressed with Denver’s food scene, but they really know how to do coffee. And beer.
The drive through Nebraska and most of Kansas was pretty uneventful. Except that the air conditioning in my rental car started leaking about 2 hours outside of Kansas City! It was pretty stressful, and ended up being quite the hassle to get it replaced. But Enterprise was helpful and friendly. And I made it to Olathe in one piece and just in time for the sunset!
Day Five and Six - Kansas City
I know that Kansas City isn’t at the top of everyone’s bucket list, but I had been promising my college friend that I would come visit her there for about five years. I was pleasantly surprised by the city. It felt quite a lot like any other Midwestern city, but there were a few standout things.
The library, specifically the downtown branch, is spectacular. Exhibit A, B, and C:
KC also has a pretty impressive coffee scene. Here are a few of the highlights including Cafe Equinox (all the plants), Oddly Correct (and excellent flat white), and Messenger Coffee (incredible baked goods and atmosphere).
My Kansas City experience was rounded out by one final dinner—BBQ at Q39. Growing up in the Northeast, I haven’t had a lot of barbecue, but this was definitely the best brisket and burnt ends I’ve ever had!
Day Seven - Kansas City to Lexington
Day seven was the longest day of travel during the whole trip—it ended up being around 16 hours. Yes, I was losing it a bit toward the end.
Day Eight - Lexington
Lexington, MI is a tiny, peaceful, welcoming town on the shores of Lake Huron. I ended up here because I was visiting another college friend. It was really the perfect way to end the trip—they had a whole yard sale/antiquing event happening and it was perfect!
Lexington also has the most adorable coffee shop: Lexington Coffee Company. They roast all their beans fresh everyday so the coffee was incredible! Their chai wasn’t too bad either.
They were lovely and super helpful with recommendations. They suggested we visit 3 North Vines—a small vineyard just west of town. We were not disappointed!
We then put together a beach picnic and watched the sunset and took pictures and people watched while listening to the free concert in the park. It was a perfect day.
Day Nine - Brown City
The last full day of my trip was spent with my college friend and her family exploring the family camp they attend every summer and eating ice cream. Not a bad day.
Day Ten - To Chicago
My last day started before sunrise, but that made the drive back to Chicago absolutely stunning. It was a short one and I crashed when I got home.
My road trip was long, sometimes arduous, and deeply overwhelming. But it was also so nice to get out of the city and away from everyday life to see some people I haven’t seen in at least a year. I also got to explore some new places and add some others to my list of places to return. It was a good trip, and I would 100% do it again!
Also if you were curious as to what I listened to for almost 24 hours in the car, here is a playlist. I also listened to so many podcasts including Reply All, It Could Happen Here, Today Explained, God is Grey, The Liturgists, and How Did This Get Made.
