June-July 2021

2021 Pandemic Road Trip Map — **2021 Pandemic Road Trip State Visits**

In January 2021, the COVID vaccine became available to those at high risk. Being diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic and only months past the end of most adjuvant treatment, I made the decision to isolate until I was able to receive the vaccine after my mammogram in April (per recommendation as they were already seeing false positives).

Per my promise to my mother, I scheduled the first shot immediately after I learned my results were good. I received the second shot two days before my birthday the following month. After the recommended two weeks of waiting, I finally sprang free. The first trip, which was a Memorial Day weekend trip to my sister’s house, made me feel like I had broken free in a small way.

But I desired a bigger, longer jailbreak.

In June, a phone call with a friend of mine in Pittsburgh, PA provided the spark. As usual, I was complaining about the Texas summer heat. I’m a lifelong Texan, but summer is still my least favorite season. My friend recommended I just go up there for a bit. I told my supervisor at the time about this conversation and his response was, “Maybe you should go.” After all, we were all still working from home, so I really could take the show on the road without skipping a beat.

Plus I earned it, dammit!

And a week later, I did. I was gone a month. For the first several weeks, I worked one week from different locations, then took some time off to visit some states I had never been to.

**Downtown Pittsburgh from Mount Washington**

Stops on this trip include:

St. Louis, MO: A friend of mine from the office here in Austin temporarily relocated back home to her hometown of St. Louis. I spent Independence Day weekend with her and was treated to the best of St. Louis.
Lexington, KY: I always stop here to visit a friend who lives there. I took over her dining room table to work during the day; we left our usual sightseeing for another time, but did manage to enjoy dinner at Kentucky Native Cafe per usual.
Ohio: Before heading to Akron for a week of work and family, I stopped in Columbus to spend the day with a friend I had not seen since high school. I was treated to a driving tour of Columbus, including the Ohio Statehouse and Easton Center. Later that week, we went to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Christmas Story House.
Pennsylvania: I finally made it to my friend’s house in Pittsburgh where we made my first trip to Phipps Conservatory and spent time with other family and friends. I also attended my first Curwensville Day parade.
West Virginia: This was the first time I visited my uncle since he moved to Buckhannon, West Virginia.
The Southeast Swing: I had never been to the southeastern states, so I took some extra time off to visit some state capitols: