In June of 2025 I made the decision to drive clear across the country from Massachusetts to Washington state to see an alternative medical doctor. It was a 6000 mile roundtrip in my little old Toyota Corolla. My back was extremely painful and four hours into the trip I considered abandoning the trek. However, I continued on, stopping frequently at gas station/convenience stores to fill up my hot water bottle with hot water. I traveled route 90 most of the way, which included a lot of toll roads.
I got to see the Erie Canal and drove through downtown Chicago in 99-degree temps. After sleeping in my car at a couple rest stops, I made it to Pilgrim Campground, which had been recommended by my friend John, a cross-country truck driver. I camped in my tent a few days next to cornfields while temps remained close to 100 degrees.
I didn’t like the noises coming from my car when turning the steering wheel. I found a local mechanic with good reviews. I paid $2000 for shocks and transmission fluid and filter replacement. I could have spent less if I waited around for a week for a used shock instead of paying for two brand-new ones. I maybe could have postponed the transmission fluid replacement but I knew I would be traveling through the Rocky Mountains during the trip.
Back on route 90, through heavy rain storms I found Minnesota to be boring as it was hours of cornfields. The exception was the very beginning near LaCrosse with its gorgeous scenery of waterways. I drove through the Badlands and the Black Hills. Many times, I wanted to explore and travel off the beaten path, but I had a destination for health reasons. I met Becky while shopping in a health food store. We really clicked. I was exhausted and she gave me the impetus to continue. She told me about a place she slept along the way. I drove up and down steep mountains through the Rockies, with gorgeous views of mountains nearby and on the horizon.
I fell in love with the beautiful views in the city of Coer d’Alene in northern Idaho. After crossing the border to Washington I drove several hours through depressing cloudy weather and arid landscape. I thought to myself, where are all the trees? On my last stop at a Love’s truck stop to retrieve hot water for my hot water bottle, after re-using the same cup multiple times, the lid loosened and I spilled hot water all over both hands, primarily the entire back of my right hand. I had first and second degree burns and spent a lot of time trying to buy the right bandages. I used blue nitrile gloves with the finger tips cut off.
After nine days travel, on the Saturday before my Monday appointment I arrived at Margaret McKenney Campground and chatted with the camp host. I had to purchase a yearly pass on-line for $35.00 and was allowed to camp in Olympia State Forest seven days a year. I really liked the primitive campground with its huge evergreen trees. I set up my campsite but within days realized there was not enough shade and ended up switching to a site in the equestrian loop.
On Monday I drove forty minutes to the doctor’s office in Yelm, where I got a good look at Mount Rainier in the distance, glistening in all its glory. I needed shade for all day parking and was trying to figure out what to do, maybe park across the busy street at the gas station. Then adjacent to my doctor’s sunny parking lot I met a man sweeping the church parking lot. He was an elder at the church. We had a great conversation, and kindly he volunteered that I park my car behind the church under a shade tree. What a huge blessing!
For four days I had testing and treatments for up to six hours daily. In the late afternoons I drove forty minutes back to the campground and lay down in my car, very tired. On Friday, July 4th, finished with treatments I was required to leave the campground and found a nearby one. I didn’t want to be driving back to Massachusetts during the busy three-day weekend. This campground was crowded and there were lots of ATV vehicles and dirt bikes, spewing out diesel fumes. I wasn’t thrilled and checked out other campgrounds in the surrounding area, to no avail. The good news was that I got to see the inlets of the Pacific Ocean!
On Monday I started my return journey, through arid eastern Washington and beautiful Idaho. I camped at Quartz Flat Campground in Lolo National Forest, right along the highway, on both sides with a driving tunnel under the road. The sites were private and nice, some far enough away from the traffic noise. There were at least two hosts. I met a man pulling a huge wooden dory on a trailer behind his truck and another man camping for the first time in his life, with a brand-new teardrop.
I drove miles through Montana and Wyoming with barely a house in sight. The sunrises were gorgeous over the Black Hills and Badlands. Of course, I worried about possibly breaking down in the nearly 100-degree temps with hardly a tree for shade. I once again slept in mostly Love’s truck stops, as all the rest areas had signs posted saying no overnight sleeping or camping. In Sioux Falls I explored the busy downtown trying out a different health food store. That night while sleeping at Love’s, large hail pounded on my car. Other people were rushing to park under the gasoline pump overhang.
I was much more wary about using my hot water bottle despite low back pain. My hand was slowly healing, taking a full month for the scabs and blisters to vanish.
I had so wanted to explore Yellowstone and the Tetons but I didn’t like the low rumbling sound from the driver’s side wheel, and hurried to return to the mechanic in Wisconsin. He couldn’t find anything wrong and I continued on my way. I didn’t want to camp again at Pilgrim Campground, as the last time I returned one afternoon to find a truck spewing chemicals through the rows of cornfields. I had found little blue Styrofoam pellets in my tea cup on the picnic table.
After six days of driving, I stopped at a rest area in upper New York state for a picnic lunch and met a young Amish man selling garden vegetables and maple syrup. We had a great conversation, he telling me about his community. My last overnight stop before returning to Gloucester, was at a Love’s in upper NY state close to Massachusetts border. Unfortunately, the nearby campgrounds had no vacancies. The next morning, early on a Sunday, I had a nice drive through the Berkshire Mountains.