🚗San Diego to Columbus

3 days, 2 enemies, 1 6-month-old child

I spent half my day yesterday planning a car trip from San Diego to Columbus, Ohio. But not for me. Well. Maybe for me? Eventually?

The itinerary necessities: stops every 2-3 hours, EV chargers every 150-300 miles (depending on the terrain), and places to spend the night. I also needed the trip to be completed in three days.

The purpose

Two of my characters in my Work-In-Progress will be making that drive to visit and support their best friend, Hattie, in jail.

Chloe (Hattie’s childhood best friend) and Jessica (Hattie’s undergraduate school friend and colleague) are polar opposites and have never gotten along. Their single meeting years before convinced them both they’d rather not meet again.

Chloe insists on going so she can visit Hattie in person while Hattie’s awaiting trial. Chloe has a six-month-old son, Mikey, a cello, a car seat, and a month’s worth of clothes, food, diapers, and playthings that she’s packed for the journey. Chloe drives a VW Bug, and she doesn’t make enough money as an elementary school teacher (and mom) to rent a vehicle for the (indeterminant) extended stay.

Why does Jessica choose to accompany her? She owns a new vehicle large enough (and trustworthy enough) to make the trip, she’s a people-pleaser and wants Chloe to like her, and she thinks Hattie would want her to…and because Chloe guilted her into it.

The Challenges

Jessica is the ultimate planner, so what could go wrong?

Let me count the ways (in no particular order):

1. Both women were up most of the night before the trip and are exhausted at the start of the journey.
2. If they were Dungeons & Dragons characters, Jessica would be LawfulGood while Chloe would be Chaotic—not Good, not Neutral, and not Evil—just pure chaos mom.
3. Chloe calls Jessica ‘Jessie’ because that’s what Hattie calls her, but Jessica prefers to be called Jessica (except by Hattie).
4. Mikey shouldn’t be confined to the car seat for longer than two-hour stretches, and because he’s six months old, he doesn’t want to get back in the car seat after their breaks.
5. Chloe is bringing her cello and insists on playing it to lull Mikey to sleep.
6. Jessica can’t speak to Hattie while she’s in jail due to a professional conflict of interest, but Chloe schedules a video call with Hattie while Jessica is driving.
7. Jessica is vegan. Chloe is NOT vegan.
8. Chloe eats in the car. There has never been food (other than groceries) in Jessica’s car.
9. Jessica’s main interests are gardening, camping, sports, scuba diving, classic music, and the law. Chloe’s interests are science, math, music (particularly the cello), classic rock, and posting to Substack under the handle (which I have just created a publication for).
10. Chloe is a Concealed Carry permit holder and brought her 9mm on the trip. Jessica is anti-gun.

The Route

…with stops along the way.

Jess drove from her home in San Diego to Montecito Heights to pick up Chloe and Mikey. From there (with bullet-pointed stops):

CA-110 > I-210 > I-15

• Barstow, CA (charge car and packed lunch)

1-40

• Needles, CA (unplanned stop for video chat with Hattie, charge the car while they’re there)
• Kingman, AZ (dinner and (you guessed it) charge the car—let’s just all understand that charging the car will happen at all stops going forward)
• Flagstaff, AZ
• Gallup, NM (overnight stay)
• Albuquerque, NM
• Santa Rose, NM (lunch)
• Amarillo, TX
• Elk City, OK (dinner)
• Oklahoma City, OK

I-44

• Joplin, MO (overnight stay)
• Lebanon, MO
• St. Louis, MO (lunch)

I-70

• Indianapolis, IN (dinner)
• Columbus, OH (Final Destination)

Do you have any fun stories about any of the stops above during a road trip that you’d like to see make it into the novel? Let me know (Direct Message or email only, please). If I use it, you’ll receive a gift when the book is released!

The Revelations…

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