Happy Saturday issue of milling, live from Utah! I’ve been on the road for a week with extremely limited service the past few days, so thanks for waiting for this one.
Once again, Sophia and I are on the road from D.C. to L.A., taking a week for silliness and exploration. A lot of this has been expertly documented by Sophia, who has been tasked with creating content for her job. Check us out on Brave Trails’ Instagram and TikTok!
This of course is a highlight reel, and travel is made up of many highs and lows. Sophia and I have deemed this trek across the country an especially crusty trip, not only for the fact that we just showered for the first time in five days, finally gloriously peeling alternating layers of mineral sunscreen and silt off our faces.
The group of redneck Kansas pre-teens who pulled into the campground at 10:30pm only to start tossing turtles up in the air and kerplunking them in the lake was crusty. Various shades of too bitter and too weak and insanely sugary gas station/hotel/general store coffee beverages have been crusty. Driving for a wild 90 minutes in the complete opposite direction of our destination was an extremely crusty moment. Pooping in a outhouse in the morning. Need I say more.
And then we made it to the Rockies, where the crust of the earth has absolutely invaded our bodies. I cannot stop sneezing, and both of us share the feeling of having a nose which is simultaneously runny and also so very dusty and dry and occasionally bloody.
Crusty has been the experience, but the thing about crustiness is that it reflects an accumulation of grime which can only be discovered outside one’s daily routines and habits. Because of this crustiness I have also seen the most beautiful double rainbow of my life in post-tornado Illinois, and woken up to bison grazing in the fields outside the grain silo we slept in, and hiked in snow and then 90+ degree heat to see rock formations that brought me absolute giddiness.
I could have done with a shower two days ago, and I can’t wait until I’m back at an elevation my body agrees with. But occasionally, the crust is the very best part.
this makes me feel that you and Sophia had a fabulous time with all your laughing and crustiness. You are so very creative.
Not 90 minutes in the wrong direction 😭 but what an amazing experience overall!! Who needs a shower anyways