Back of the Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone National Park
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Road Trip Writeup
Road Trip Writeup
May 27th, 2026
Published Sept. 10th, 2026
Prologue
Prologue
Graduation
Graduation
I wrapped up four years of great learning and friendships at Wellesley College in May.
Massachusetts -> New Jersey -> Ohio
Massachusetts -> New Jersey -> Ohio
Chickens!
Chickens!
->
->
Walk by the water in Ohio
Walk by the water in Ohio
NJ to Ohio - Came to a new understanding of "Country Roads" on this stretch of the drive. Drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains and into West Virginia. I listened to the beginning of All the Light We Cannot See and enjoyed very tasty tacos from dinner with Uncle Rich and Renata.
Cocoa, corn, and red-winged black birds
Cocoa, corn, and red-winged black birds
Drove from Columbus to a cool state park in Illinois. The photo of the farm is from a spot called Today's Harvest where I bought some dilly beans for the road. I managed to get the DSLR up and running during my stay at the state park so here are some fun photos to enjoy!
Minnesota and a Book on CD
Minnesota and a Book on CD
Right around Waterloo, Iowa I decided I was ready for a break. I found the John Deere tractor museum and got to try generating some horsepower with one of their contraptions. Guests can pick up their own commemorative time cards and see many sorts of tractors.
The bear pictured here joined me in Minnesota and kept me company for the second half of the trip. It was great to see friends and family from so many corners of my life on this trip.
MN -> SD -> MT
MN -> SD -> MT
The drive from Minnesota to South Dakota was sunny and bright. The skies were blue and my trusty audiobook kept my attention. I followed the 300 mile stretch of signs to Wall Drug where I enjoyed a vanilla ice cream and picked up a postcard for my collection.
I spent the night camping on a cattle ranch and listening to the sounds of the sky. Early in the morning a mouse decided to hop aborad in the fan system. Thankfully I noticed right away and managed to seal things up enough to get to Rapid City and find a mechanic at 8am on a Saturday.
The Toyota dealership was quite helpful and got back on the road in no time (not more than 5 minutes!!) so I was able to resume my travels to Montana.
The river and bridge below are from a scenic detour through Montana (near Billings). After a full day of driving, I greatly appreciated the warm welcome that awaited in Bozeman.
Huge thanks to Sarah and family for a fun and memorable weekend in MT and an epic day at Yellowstone. Photos below.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone
The Road Home
The Road Home
It's been a few months since I set out on my cross country adventure, but I am still fuller for the journey. Many thanks to the family and friends that helped me feel at home along the way, and let me know when you're passing through Oregon.
Much love,
Lillie
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