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BRINGING YOU THE FACTS....--You Never Knew --You Needed to Know!----SNIPPETZ MAGAZINE
by Lindsey Harrison
“It’s fine. It’s fine...  Everything’s fine!” 
– Lindsey Harrison, former Colorado resident
Colorado is undoubtedly a beautiful state. But so is Maine. And that’s why the Harrison family of Colorado Springs decided to move to Maine when they found themselves in need of a change. So, they did their due diligence and researched places in Maine that they could call home. Turns out, Bangor was a perfect fit and no, it wasn’t entirely because Stephen King has a house there. With the location settled, the couple set their sights on finding jobs. Then they put their house in Colorado on the market and picked out a place to live in Bangor, which just so happens to be about two blocks from Stephen King’s house but that’s neither here nor there. With all the major details figured out, the Harrisons felt confident they could make the move without too much trouble. Then COVID-19 happened and everything changed. No longer able to take a trip to visit their future home, the family had to settle for buying a house essentially sight unseen and navigate the ever-changing territory of COVID-19 regulations between Colorado and Maine. But in the end, they made it work. You’re probably wondering how and that’s where Snippetz comes in. We’ve brought you a unique “how-to” guide in the hopes that, should you decide to make a similar life change, you can learn from their successes and mistakes. Enjoy!

SHOULD I MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
In a word, no. Kidding. Moving across the country to start a life in a new place is basically how our nation was settled and look how well that turned out. So, if you think that’s a change you need, we say go for it. However, we strongly urge you to consider hiring a moving company to pack your things, haul them wherever you’re going and then unload and unpack everything for you. Trust us on this one; the additional cost is worth it. The Harrisons did NOT follow this advice and every ounce of their beings wishes they had. Not only did they have to pack all their stuff, they then had to drive with it and then unpack it all after spending four days on the road. Literally, the last thing they wanted to do when they got to their destination was unload an entire home’s worth of furniture, decorations, dishes, etc.

PLAN AHEAD
Since the Harrisons knew it was going to be a difficult trip, they planned ahead by booking their hotels before they left so they could drive from one destination to the next with very little guesswork. That was such a smart! And they also intentionally looked for hotels along the way that had swimming pools to try to give the kids something to look forward to after spending 10+ hours each day cooped up in a car. Genius, right? They thought so, too. Until, of course, the websites of the respective hotels failed to indicate that their pools were closed due to COVID-19. Trust us, the Harrisons looked at that when booking their rooms but things just didn’t work out as intended. Of the three overnight hotel stays the family made during the trip, the only one with a working pool was the one in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Naturally, it wasn’t awesome to find out there were no pools to enjoy throughout the rest of the trip. Considering how many places weren’t even allowing guests at the time, the family felt they were pretty lucky to find hotels along the entire route that were reasonably priced and accepted dogs. Sleeping in their vehicles would have been just about unbearable and leaving their dogs behind was literally the last thing they would have wanted to do. COVID-19 complicated the plans the Harrisons had made but with a bit of extra planning, everyone made it to Maine with their sanity in tact.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Here’s the thing about driving across the country during a pandemic: there will undoubtedly be hiccups in your plans and random hurdles to jump. It’s a wise idea to just know things will happen that you aren’t going to be completely thrilled with and find a way to roll with the punches, so to speak. For instance, when the Harrisons pulled into their hotel in Albany, New York, they fully expected to be able to hop out of the car, go into the hotel lobby, check in and then finally hit the hay. It was well after 10 p.m., after all. But that’s not exactly how things went. 

First, the hotel was apparently a haven for random Albany residents to hang around outside and smoke marijuana. Second, when Mrs. Harrison went inside to check in, she learned the hotel was under new ownership, which had created a new rule requiring a hold of $100 on each guest’s credit card when they checked in. It wasn’t a deal-breaker for the Harrisons, though. If it meant they could finally get some much-needed rest, they were willing to pay. 

What did end up being a deal-breaker was the fact that the new owners of the hotel no longer allowed pets. Even though the Harrisons had booked their room more than a week prior to their intended stay, the “nice” man behind the counter refused to honor their reservation. The family had to climb back into their respective vehicles and travel to the only other hotel Mrs. Harrison could find at that time of night an available room.

Once they reached their new destination, Mrs. Harrison once again headed to the hotel lobby to check in. After about 15 minutes, 3 phone calls and multiple “bangs” on the fancy reception desk’s bell, a nice gentleman appeared to help the family settle into their room. Said room happened to be decorated in a hideous combination of baby poop green, brown and yellow. Of course, while not ideal, the family didn’t care that the décor was repulsive. They did, however, care that the room temperature was at least 437 degrees Fahrenheit. The room’s AC unit didn’t work too well so the family melted in the humid heat until they rounded up a fan to place on top of the unit to blow the small amount of cool air produced out into the room.

The bathroom in that hotel was a bit scary as well. Mrs. Harrison’s mother locked herself in multiple times, accidentally of course, because the doorknob didn’t like to cooperate. To say that night was restful would be a gross overstatement.

ENJOY THE RIDE
Most people don’t typically think spending 10 hours per day in a vehicle for a series of 4 days is the ideal way to spend the first few days of July and that is 100 percent accurate. But even when your 100-pound mastiff/Great Dane mix drools across your shoulders and jabs his pointy nails into the back of your arm as he fights with you for the arm rest, there will likely be plenty to see and enjoy.

One way to pass the time was a game Mrs. Harrison’s mother invented: find the license plates from as many of the 50 states as possible. Or perhaps you’re more of the “see how many other moving trucks are towing vehicles just like the moving truck Mr. Harrison is driving.” That game certainly took up some time. And for the record, there appeared to be a LOT of other people relocating with their vehicles just as the Harrisons were.

Another incredibly interesting game is called “when are we going to stop, I need to pee.” Not only did the humans get involved, but the dogs played along very well indeed. Still not exactly the type of game you’d be entertained by? What about “don’t fall asleep?” That’s a very difficult game and often requires multiple cups of coffee and/or energy drinks.

Admittedly, the least favorite game for any of the family members was “where should we get food.” That game often involved bickering back and forth and repeated utterances of “I honestly don’t care where we eat just as long as we stop somewhere soon.” Now, remember, this was during the pandemic so the family couldn’t exactly pop into their favorite place for a nice, relaxing meal. Fast food was really the only option and that was eaten outside in the hot, sticky air of early July in the American Midwest and New England.