Freedom on Route 23

We got the Campervan for a steal. Fixed it up during our free time as we finished off our degrees, then once our last assignment and essay were logged in, we hit the road. Rye had planned our first the route - the US23. We'd leave school, drop off what we didn't need at home, visit with family, then take off. Four months on the road From Sault Saint Marie, the Canadian side, down into the States to Florida.

I was excited about being able to travel and work. So was Rye.

There were things we really wanted to see, like the Country Music Highway and the museum in Kentucky and the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. We also wanted to try chicken and waffles.

We made it as far as Oscoda the first day. It should have taken 4 hours, but we packed in some adventures along the way. Sight-seeing and just enjoying the freedom of being on the road. I kept copious notes for my blog posts. I planned to write about our adventure, post the blogs and late compile them into a book. A travel guide for the US23 or something like that.

We were lucky to be able to park down close to the lake and set up for the night. Rye hauled out our portable fire pit and got it lit, while I cut up the veggies and meat; wrapped then in tin foil and threw the packets in the coals to cook. So good.

As the day dipped into a beautiful star filled night, Rye pulled out his guitar and we sang a few of his original tunes. Our voices wafted through the cool night air and carried on the breeze. It wasn't too long before we had a few people stop by. One guy brought his guitar along too.

Sleeping with the sound of waves nearby was blissful and it the morning we woke to a dazzling sunrise in Oscoda, Michigan. We sat in the sand and drank our coffee as we watched the morning break over the gentle waves of Lake Huron.

"Can you believe we are doing this?" I marveled not taking my eyes off the distant horizon.

Rye said nothing, but I could see the warmth in his smile as he tipped his cup up to his lips.

"I've researched a few things I want to do while we're here. I want to get some great photographs for my blog too."

"Well, let's start with a swim. Once we hit Ohio we will be landlocked for awhile."

I couldn't agree more.

Over the day I took videos of our adventures and after some edits posted it to Instagram and Tik Tok. With luck, we'd get a following. I had huge hopes for my travel blogs and video content.

After a few days we headed on making sure to follow our noses and explore anything that caught our eye. My blog posts and videos were getting some traction and Rye had even got a chance to play his guitar in a few places that were kind enough to pay him for his tunes.

Night was already falling when we pulled into a rest stop in Ohio.

"You think we can stay here overnight?" I asked when we got out to stretch our legs.

"Don't see why not," Rye said as he stretched his arms up over his head. "If we get told to move on we can, easily enough."

We kept things simple, cooking the chicken on the hub and making a fresh salad.

"I'm looking forward to trying some chicken and waffles," Rye said as he finished his chicken. "I hear it's pretty good."

"I've been trying to find a place. Doing a little research. I don't see anything on the highway."

"We may have to take a detour, we got time."

True. We didn't have a deadline or place to be. But I knew Rye was excited about getting on the Country Music Highway and getting discovered. That was his dream. We were young enough to believe it could happen. And as we lay out under the stars, listening to the musical orchestra that was the night, I believed we could do it too.


Word Count = 705.

Notes ▼

The Writer's Cramp
NEW PROMPT DUE Monday September 4, 2023 before 11:59 am.
While Route 66 is the more well known highway (east-west from Chicago to LA) ... Route 23 is a major north–south highway that runs between Jacksonville, Florida and Mackinaw City, Michigan.

Write your STORY or POEM about going on a road trip from Florida to Michigan along Route 23, and include ALL of the following phrases (and you must bold them) -

Country Music Highway
Pisgah National Forest
chicken and waffles
rest stop in Ohio
sunrise in Oscoda, Michigan

Choose TRAVEL as one of your genres.