So we are in the homestretch. It’s April, the weather is starting to warm up just a bit, and the graduation plans are being planned. Grad party Partifuls are being sent out, and job offers are being received. I know that after I graduate, my core group of friends will be scattered throughout. A couple of us are staying in the NJ/NYC metropolitan area, some are moving out West or down South, and some friends are even going international. This has been the hardest part of being a senior — the knowledge that soon, we won’t have unlimited access to each other. Luckily, I had the opportunity to go on a spring break trip with my friends, and this experience truly changed my life. My advice to any underclassmen reading this: go on that trip.
My four friends and I set out on a road trip to Nashville, Tennessee. We first planned to rent a sexy SUV like a GMC or Lincoln. We ended up with the most beautiful mini-van. Imagine us, traveling through the country in a white Chrysler Pacifica. We named her Paloma, and we deeply miss her and our adventurous week.
Our first stop in Paloma was Luray, Virginia. If there is one thing to know about Luray, it’s that this small rural town is home to a supermarket, farms, and the Luray Caverns. While we were driving on the interstate, we would see at least six or seven billboards advertising the Luray Caverns. I urge you to do your research on these Caverns and visit them if you have the time. It was spectacular. Right around Luray was Shenandoah National Park where we spent a lot of our time. Through tornado warnings and less-than-ideal weather, we hiked and picnicked and found ourselves in these mountains. My friends and I thank Luray a lot for giving us a peaceful beginning to our trip. This small town was an amazing place, and inside our Air BNB, we drank coffee on our porch, sang songs in our living room, and saw the most beautiful shooting star (my first shooting star sighting ever).
Next up was Nashville. After stopping at a Dutch Bros and Buc-ee’s and a couple hours of some real good road trip music, we arrived in Music City. Nashville truly ignited something in us. Music was not only the main form of entertainment and attraction, but it was the deepest heartbeat of the city. From the Country Music Hall of Fame to The Grand Ol’ Opry to just the bars on Broadway, this city was all about music. I absolutely loved it, and I am currently trying to plan to get back there this summer. After a couple of days of cowboy boots, dancing, and sightseeing, we hopped back in Paloma to eastern Tennessee.
We returned back to the mountains and drove to a mountain cabin between the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Here, we hiked in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We saw a jaw-dropping sunset, made friends with fellow hikers, and went off the trail and ended up in a small cave to take a break. On our first day in the Park, we rode horses on a three-mile trail in the Smokies. Just an unbelievable national park. While Pigeon Forge was not our favorite city due to the “charming” nature of the area and the “interesting” restaurant we attended (I’ll spare you the details for this one), we left Tennessee after this stop.
We spent a night in Roanoke, Virginia, and found ourselves splitting a chocolate chip cookie in a quaint hotel room. After sipping on some burnt coffee and making hotel waffles, we hopped in Paloma to head back to The Garden State. We stopped at a 7 Brew too — it was so good!
This trip gave me so much more than pictures and memories. It gave me confidence that my friends and I will be okay and always make time for each other. Seven days in a mini-van traveling down south bonds people more than you’d think. Between our nature days in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains, excursions through caverns, crazy nights in Nashville, and bonding moments in the Smokies, we really had an indescribable time. I scraped the surface of our trip in this article. There’s just so much to say about it all.
Take that trip, start planning now, spend the money! Stay up late and ask your friends about who they are and where they come from. Talk about your families and cry through stories. Laugh out loud and sing at the top of your lungs. Do everything, feel guilty about nothing.
Most importantly, find people who see you.
