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Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

Compelling Copy for Female Founders

Riding Solo

March 21, 2016

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There’s this thing about traveling by yourself that invigorates the soul. Last weekend, I went on a last-minute work trip to San Saba, Texas, population 3,100, for a story in an upcoming issue of the magazine I work for. My job Thursday evening through Saturday morning was to soak in the town’s atmosphere and experience anything they had to offer for tourists. Basically, it was a mini-vacation. Not too shabby in terms of work assignments I’ve been given.

I invited my boyfriend initially (the folks who set it up said I could bring him), but with his work schedule and some other things happening, he wasn’t able to go. So, naturally, I invited my best friend next. She could go at first, but then some time conflicts came up with her, too, and I was left packing up my car Thursday afternoon by myself and getting on the road with a couple podcasts to keep me company. I’m not going to lie; I was kind of nervous.

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I’ve taken road trips by myself — I drove myself home from my summer in Nashville a few years ago, which is a lo-ooong drive, but I didn’t mind. I actually enjoy time alone in the car with my thoughts or mellow music, getting to take in the scenery and speeding as much or as little as I’d like without commentary. So it wasn’t the drive itself I was worried about because, usually, anytime I’ve done a road trip on my own, I’d meet someone I know at the destination.

It was more the feeling of uncertainty once I got there that made me anxious. I had a vague itinerary: a couple wineries to visit, a hiking spot to some waterfalls, shops to browse around in. But I knew no one in this little Texas Hill Country town and would be staying in a hotel room on my own for, I think, the first time ever. I wasn’t worried about my safety whatsoever (minus the slight possibility that the historic hotel I was staying in might be haunted). It was just a bizarre feeling, I guess: calling every shot, finding my own way, and embracing the choices that come with exploring a new place. And there are many.

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The strangeness, but also beauty, of my alone-time trip hit me when I went on a hike to the Gorman Falls in Colorado Bend State Park. More accurately, it was getting to the park, rather than the hike itself, that posed a couple dilemmas. I got in the car at my adorable six-bedroom (and not in the least haunted) hotel in downtown San Saba, plugged in “Colorado Bend State Park” to Google Maps, and trusted the technology maybe too much as I got on the road for the supposed 52-minute commute.

After 30 minutes driving down undulating two-lane roads through some of the greenest and most beautiful scenery, the map advised me to turn onto a unkempt one-lane dirt road. I hadn’t seen a sign yet for the state park, but down the gravel road I drove on my happy way, singing along to country songs and getting way too excited over every cow and goat and horse I passed. (I was raised in a city, so yes, wildlife makes me very giddy.)

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After a few more turns down dirt roads, the path became bumpier with potholes and unevenness, and the trees had dangling branches that scraped against my car. I started feeling unnerved as I realized a road to a state park would probably have more traffic (I hadn’t seen a soul since turning onto the first dirt road) and wear to it than the place I was driving. And then the road abruptly ended with a gate flat in front of me with extra-large “TRESPASSING” signs covering it. Definitely not the state park. (Thank you, Google Maps).

Apparently, the hill country does not have the best cell phone reception. I parked my car to get my bearings on where I could possibly be, and my map would no longer load. When I tried to pull it up, it just showed me, a dot, amid a screen of gray nothingness. The corner of my phone read, “No Service,” and that’s when my hands really got clammy.

Y’all, I’m known for having a terrible memory. I knew I’d probably turned down four or five different dirt roads over the last 20 minutes, but whether I could backtrack them was up in the air. But I didn’t really have an option, so I turned around and tried my hardest to remember certain landmarks. After a few minutes, thankfully, I had one bar of phone service and was able to look up the accurate route to the entrance of the park. (Somehow, my route led me to the backside of the grounds, way farther than I ever needed to go.)

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You know that scary, guttural laugh that only really comes out when you’re alone and something truly terrifying or embarrassing (or both) happens? One of those escaped from my stomach as I wound my way through even more verdant landscapes. I probably looked slightly psychotic, but luckily, I was alone. And I did it! I had no one to lean on or ask for help in those few moments of being lost, and finding my way out of it and on the right path was so gratifying, which made the hike all the more lovely (once I finally made it).

The rest of my trip had moments like that, albeit less dramatic — moments where I was uncertain about what to do or say, and so I’d leave it up to my gut to make decisions for me. I have always felt like a strongly independent person, but I think we all have our crutches in life, whether it’s a routine or a significant other or different familiarities. Getting away from all of that really taught me to embrace a little uncertainty and unknown, which, frankly, I could use some more of.

When has life made you feel a little lost and outside of your comfort bubble? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

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Comments

  1. Julie says

    March 21, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    So delightful! AND…I’ve been in that ‘delirious’ and panicky state…SUCH a relief when you get to what you believe to be safety!

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      March 26, 2016 at 1:56 pm

      Right?! It’s so scary in the moment.

      Reply

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Welcome! I'm Audrey, and I adore connecting with female founders and telling their stories in a way that matters & lasts for years to come.

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audskelton

Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands without a bump. 👐🏼 Wallace, trying to figure out what we’re doing out of the house. 🤨

First family walk in the books! All of 10 minutes. 🤪 (Also, does anyone else notice the rainbow over Wally?... My heart. 🌈🥺)
1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & mos 1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & most rewarding week of my life. Babies’ sleep schedules, y’all. They are not for the faint of heart.

Wallace is hitting all his milestones, has learned the alphabet, and is picking up Latin. Just kidding. But he CAN poop 3 times in an hour and a half 😎, and he eats like a champ, is so strong that we prefer to tag team diaper changes for now, and makes the sweetest, cutest noises all day long. (And night.) Like even his cry is cute. 😩

One of my friends called this time the “wet weeks”: urine, breast milk, spit up, night sweats, tears, blood, more tears. It’s a lot, and it’s temporary. So even in the hard moments, we are reminding ourselves that the hardest things are often the best things. 

And this really has been the best thing.

So, so thankful for a hands-on husband who’s been so involved in everything... there’s something indescribable about watching your partner care for your child and step into a big, new role like this so gracefully. And we are thankful for ALL of the support, near and far (... mostly far), from our family and friends and coworkers. What a week... here’s to continuing to figure it all out together as a family. 😌
At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worl At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worlds and hearts were changed forever. Everything in between was a gritty, fast-moving tidal wave of emotion, pain, instinct, and a kind of love I never could’ve imagined.

Welcome, Wallace Ronal Skelton. 🤎 You kept us waiting until you decided, very quickly, you’d like to be here. I’m still in disbelief that you are ours. 

January 4, 2021 • 7 lbs 4 oz • 20.5 inches • Sweet as can be.
Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our sense of punctuality which realllly threw me for a loop after thinking & saying for months that I was certain he/she would get here early. I’ve drank 3 boxes of raspberry leaf tea in 3 weeks, walked dozens of miles, eaten way too many dates, done hundreds of squats and bench step-ups... and now I’m surrendering. You come whenever you feel like it, little one. I’m comfy enough and can still sleep through the night (minus a bathroom break or two) so we will just keep on waiting and letting you teach us our first lesson of parenthood: PATIENCE. I knew I could always use some more of it. 😉 #40weekspregnant #pregnancy
scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morni scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morning hike. ☀️🍂 in a year that’s felt like 5, getting outside whenever we can has been my favorite way to reset. so thankful to live in such gorgeous surroundings!
our first and probably only christmas just us thre our first and probably only christmas just us three! quiet and simple and a little sad but mostly filled with hope and gratitude. hope yours is special in all the best ways. 🤍
the most freeing parenting advice i’ve heard so the most freeing parenting advice i’ve heard so far? (and i’ve gotten a lot this year!) our children NEED to see us to mess up. they need to see us walk through mistakes, fix our messes, apologize, learn, and readjust.

as someone who very much realizes i’m nowhere *near* perfect but is also terrified something i’ll do might mess my kid up for life... hearing this advice has stuck with me so profoundly. i think about it every day, especially as we get closer and closer to becoming parents.

we don’t need to get it right. in fact, we’re serving them better when we get it wrong AND course correct openly. when we can admit our faults and say we’ll do better next time.

i had a friend tell me a few months ago she apologizes to her baby all the time. she’ll say, “i’m sorry that i really don’t know what you need right now, but i’m learning... i’m sorry that you’re upset, let’s figure this out together.”

and i thought that was a beautiful way to own and lean into the truth that parenting isn’t having the answers all figured out—at all. it’s guessing and learning as you go and being able to be humble enough to apologize to your infant when you don’t get it right (and then your toddler, and then your kid, and then your teenager).

these next 18+ years are going to be an adventure, i can already tell. lots of mess-ups. lots of sorry’s. lots of goodness. 🤍

oh, and... can we all agree that the worst parenting advice is “sleep when the baby sleeps”?! as the lightest sleeper ever, i don’t need that pressure in my life. 😅 

photo by @jilliangoulding
the body of the grinch but the heart of cindy lou the body of the grinch but the heart of cindy lou who. ♥️

(wrong holiday, i know—but let’s not pretend 90% of us don’t already have christmas stuff up already okay?)

however you’re celebrating & whoever you’re celebrating with today, i hope it’s special. happy thanksgiving, friend! 🦃🍂💛 #thanksgiving #35weekspregnant
simple joys today: 🍂a pecan praline almond mil simple joys today:

🍂a pecan praline almond milk misto in the @starbucks holiday cup.
🍂early monday morning grocery run with my husband for simple thanksgiving ingredients for our 2-person party (well, 3 technically i guess 😜) on thursday.
🍂cool mornings.
🍂fall colors.
🍂the charlie brown christmas album on repeat. (i honestly think this is my favorite album of all time. 😂 we even got it on vinyl this year. i listen to it from end of october through january every single year.)
🍂random fall-y at-home manicures.
🍂2 short weeks in a row.
🍂phone calls with family.
🍂baby hiccups, kicks, and rolls & starting to distinguish between knees, hands, and a booty sticking out of my stomach. 😂
🍂sleeping in.
🍂finishing up home projects. (y’all, WE FINISHED THE FLOORS. praise.)
🍂a clean home.
🍂daily walks & clean air.
🍂soaking in the joy of our last childless vacation/staycation.

so much to be grateful for. and this year it’s really the little things that are the big things. what are your simple joys you’re hanging on to right now?
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