Our awareness of the incredibly fortunate lives we live is rarely lost on Caroline and me, but when planning our travels and especially in the time leading up to our departure, that knowledge turns into a riveting tension. This idea is kept alive by the desire to venture out of routine as we are determined not to fall into patterns that would allow us to make excuses for staying in place. Not only are we willing to go, learn, and challenge ourselves, but we have the means and, at least so far, are indefatigable in making the necessary sacrifices. The funny thing is that this all feels like it grows easier and even more rewarding with each passing year. Little touches that enhance our adventures become nuances of the extraordinary, fueling our belief that this is the proverbial icing on the cake, adding to the perfection of how we’ll greet the place we are traveling to.

Nearly two months ago, I confirmed our lodging for the trip on which we are about to embark. Back then it felt like we were gaining some breathing room from COVID-19 and that making plans was a great thing to do. Now, just hours before our departure, the pandemic is raging in all corners of the country. I’m trying to reassure myself that we are doing this as safely as possible with only three nights in hotels: one on the way there and two on the way home; all three are major brands with the hopes they are working hard to protect their franchises. Our lodgings on the coast are at five different rentals; we’ll stay at each one for multiple days and will disinfect a few things before setting up, in addition to tossing off the bedding in favor of using our own pillows and our favorite fluffy down comforter. Ninety-three percent of our meals will come directly from what we are packing, while four meals will be to-go or outdoors. Two of those will be in Yachats, Oregon, at our old favorite Luna Sea restaurant; one lunch will be at Blue Heron Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon, and finally, dinner in Crescent City, California, as we will be in a hotel without a kitchen.

By minimizing our contact with others and wearing masks at all times we are in shared public spaces, we feel that we are doing everything we can to remain safe while not risking others’ health should somehow we become asymptomatic carriers. The path of our travels and time of year chosen also minimizes our encounters with others, though, on Thanksgiving and the day after, it’s been our experience that beaches are relatively crowded, although late November in Oregon means that we’ll be at least 20 to 50 feet away from others on a windy open area. If fewer people are traveling this holiday season, maybe we’ll find even greater isolation, which is just fine by us.

I brought up that we’ll be preparing 93% of all of our meals; that’s a very accurate number, actually, as out of 57 meals across 19 days, we really are either cooking or packing sandwiches over the course of every day. While there’s certainly a convenience to eating out during travels, it’s also a hit-and-miss in rural corners of America where options can be grim *(if you ever had to eat Chinese food in Topeka, Kansas, you’d know what I meant). Instead, we’ll be dining on my own cooking with walleye hand-caught in Canada, ribeye steaks from the panhandle of Texas, Cajun Turducken from Louisiana, Corona beans because why not, sundubu Korean tofu stew, grilled bratwurst from our favorite local German store, and spaghetti squash as everyone needs a night off. Doing the dishes and moving this amount of food up to Oregon is a downside, but on the bright side, it’ll feel in some way like we’re living on the coast instead of just visiting.

“Patience is a virtue” takes on new meaning during a pandemic due to the uncertainty, but as we near the moment of departure with our precautions to remain safe, healthy, and isolated, it looks like all systems are “go for launch.” Due to the obvious impatience of many, which ultimately means disrespect for themselves and others, the flare-up of COVID-19 is surging through many cities across America and around the globe. We must continue to act in our own best interest and go slow and steady with the full awareness that all around us are people who not only don’t care but also don’t believe that the pandemic is real. For nearly the entire year, our lives have been impacted, yet those in denial only demonstrate hostility, which is often directed at those who are trying to not only take precautions but also patiently retain the hope that lives will return to something like normal. This trip up the coast is one of our moments to dip back into what was normal, our reward for our own patience.