Iowa winters are hard on me. They’re cold and dreary, and my brain and body have a hard time dealing with it each year.
Last year, the combination of COVID isolation, some med changes, and a long stretch of very cold days sent me into a deep depressive episode.
I was diagnosed with depression at age 12. You can read all about that here.
I had to take the month of March off from work to get through the episode. I even spent a week at my parents’ (I’m blessed to have amazing, supportive people in my life) so I wasn’t by myself.
Thankfully, clients understood and were ready to pick back up when I was back to good brain health.
While last year was one of the worst, winters have always been hard on me. My depression is very much seasonal. I didn’t want to have another depressive episode, and I knew one big thing that could keep me healthy: sun and warm weather.
So I booked an Airbnb in Arizona for the month of January. I found a cute, affordable place in rural AZ that would give me 50-60 degree temperatures and a good variety of mountain biking.
In early January—in -10 degree weather, in fact—I packed up the car, the bike, and the dog and hit the road. I took three days to drive to AZ with overnight stops at affordable, dog-friendly hotels. And then I lived my life similarly to what I would at home—working, walking the dog, working out, biking.
My Routine
As I got settled in AZ, I knew routine would be important. I got my usual groceries, set my alarm at regular times, and kept as many routines in place as possible.
At home, I work throughout the day and often into the evening. But at my booking in Arizona, the internet was…let’s say less than stellar.
I knew this was a possibility because I was in a very rural area. So I had the tools to work offline and in a fairly low-bandwidth manner.
In the mornings, the internet was mostly usable. But I did rely on my cellular data quite a bit.
At night, though, the internet access was basically zero, including cell data. I’m not sure if it’s because of how the area was situated in the mountain or if once people got home from work and school, the shared bandwidth just couldn’t handle it.
So thanks to the internet situation, I got into a routine of:
- Working in the morning
- Taking a dog for the walk after it crapped out (usually between 1-3)
- Going on a hike or bike ride after Chrissy was sufficiently tired out
- Reading, playing solitaire, or doing other non-internet activities at night
That routine worked really well for me! I plan to keep what worked as I settle back in at home.
Chrissy also settled in well. Here she is recharging.
I loved Arizona, and have no regrets about the trip. In fact…
A Month Wasn’t Enough
As my departure date approached, I found myself longing for more time in the sun. There was still so much to do! And winter was still in full force in Iowa.
I booked a last-minute extension. And while my Arizona rental wasn’t available, I found a great spot in NW New Mexico.
I stayed another month, kept a similar routine (but with WAY better internet access), and got to enjoy more vitamin D.
Surviving Away from Home
While I was nervous and anxious about the trip—and being away from home for so long—I was pretty confident that the trip was the right move for my mental health. So I worked to make sure I kept myself healthy and happy while I was away. Two months is a long time to be away from home, alone other than the dog, and far from everything and everyone I know.
But I knew I could do it. I absolutely didn’t want another depressive episode if I could prevent it. And I did!
Here are a few things I did to help myself.
Be purposeful about human contact. I don’t require a lot of human contact. I’m an introvert, and I’m very happy on my own. But a girl does need some connection to humanity every now and then. I wasn’t up for joining any group bike rides or workout classes in my temporary home, so I focused on my existing relationships. I had phone calls with friends and family (especially when I didn’t have internet access) and wrote emails to them as well. I also had some lovely folks send me letters and packages…little care packages.
Pack reading materials. I didn’t know going into the trip that internet would be SO spotty, but I knew I’d have a lot of time to read no matter what. So I packed about 10 paperback books, and I always have access to the Kindle app on my tablet if I need. But I’ll always prefer a paper book. And both rental houses had a stash of books. Most of them weren’t my style, but I was able to pick a few that fit my fancy.
Download all the audio. I’m always listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. I downloaded a few audiobooks and playlists for the drive down and the drive back, and then I had a slew of podcasts for my day-to-day audio needs. My brain likes music or podcasts most of time, so I had friends and family make recommendations, and I compiled those for my trip.
Prepare for low-bandwidth work. While I knew bad internet was a possibility, I had no idea just how bad it would be. But thankfully, I was prepared. I was able to call in to Zoom meetings to rely less on internet. I also downloaded a lot of work so I could move forward offline. Clients were great about sending me info so I could download it and work offline. Most of my work is in Google Docs, so I was able to use the offline work functionality built into that system to write even when I didn’t have connectivity.
Have a Trusted House-sitter. I had someone getting my mail, shoveling, and running my water periodically while I was gone. That helped give me peace of mind that the house would be safe while I was gone. I, of course, left the heat and utilities on…I didn’t want a burst pipe. And I was able to watch what mail was coming in through the USPS Informed Delivery service, so I had the house-sitter forward a few pieces I needed while I was away.
I’m pretty experienced at road trips, so I used all of my lessons-learned on those trips to make the drives down and back as smooth as possible. I won’t share those, but I’ll say that I’m glad I had the experience traveling long distances alone (and with a dog) before this trip.
When people would ask about how the trip and stay were going, I’d say, “suspiciously smoothly.” Because I did so much prep work and had my expectations set right, I was able to enjoy the trip and any bumps in the road that came up.
Fun in the Sun
Because I like routine, I didn’t set out to go on some big adventure every afternoon or weekend. I was perfectly happing walking around the neighborhood and biking the local trails. Mostly, I just wanted to be able to enjoy the great outdoors without a bunch of layers and a risk of frostbite. But I did go on a few adventures that are worth sharing.
Mountain Biking
I took up mountain biking last year, thanks to a lovely group of women collectively known as Nature Force. I fell in love with it and brought my bike to explore the trails. In Arizona, I was close to Sedona, so there was mountain biking around every corner. It was a little overwhelming, actually, but I was able to learn the trails and do some really fun rides. In New Mexico, I was right by the “#1 rated trail system in NM.” I also had trails right by my rental, so I could just GO. Here are some pictures of where I got to ride.
I also hiked quite a bit, especially the trails that weren’t open to bikes. I hike the Bell Trail to “The Crack,” which is a swimming hole in the summer (and still gorgeous in the winter). In 4 miles out to the crack, I gained 630 feet in elevation.
National Parks
I got myself an “America the Beautiful” annual national park pass and hit some of the national parks in the area.
Grand Canyon
I was 2 hours away from the Grand Canyon, so I felt obligated to go. I can confirm that it was grand, and it was a canyon. I mostly went because I didn’t want to regret not going. So I drove up, walked a few miles around the south rim, and headed back home. Seeing it did make me want to do one of the guided trips into the canyon some day, but I’ll save that for the future.
Petrified Forest
Chrissy and I popped in to the Petrified Forest National Park on our way from Arizona to New Mexico. It wasn’t what I expected. I thought I’d see trees because, you know, “forest.” But the part I visited was mostly just basalt. It was still gorgeous, just not what I’d call a forest. But I’m no expert. And we just popped in, so I saw a small corner of the park—just passing through.
Red Rock
Red Rock park in Sedona, AZ, is a state park, but the national park pass still gets you in. I drove along the Red Rock Scenic Byway (quite by accident…that’s the route I had to take to get into Sedona), and it was gorgeous. I also biked and hiked around Bell Rock and many of the other trails in the area.
Iowa doesn’t have any national parks, but since my pass lasts for a whole year, I’ll have to take some day or weekend adventures to parks in surrounding states.
Lessons Learned
I learned a lot while I was working away. I plan to keep these lessons while I’m back home and on future trips.
I will do it again. My mental state is great. I made it through winter without even a minor depressive episode. I was productive at work, active, and happy. I’m already thinking about next year’s trip. I’m not sure if I’ll try to go back to the area of Arizona since I really like it, or if I’ll try to see other parts of the country.
Two months was perfect. One month was too short, but two months was great. I think anything longer would have been too long. I like leaving after the holidays, right at the new year, and staying away until the terror of February has passed.
Standalone rentals are the way to go. I looked at a lot of different types of rentals, including long-stay hotels, apartments, and guest houses. I’m glad I went with a standalone property…mostly because of Chrissy. She’s reactive to other dogs, so being in an apartment, hotel, or guest house would bring risks of other dogs in close proximity. If I had a smaller dog, an apartment would probably work well, but with this gal, a house was ideal. We even had a fenced in back yard at our New Mexico rental, and we got some visitors every now and then.
I’m glad I invested in my basement gym. When COVID hit, I bought my own barbell, bumper plates, squat rack, and other equipment to lift without going to a gym. I’m so glad I did that, and I missed it while I was away. I found a local gym in both areas, but I didn’t use them very many times. I’m more thankful than every for my basement gym.
The Post Office offers general delivery. In Arizona, I got a PO box, which worked well, but then I learned you can do general delivery. If someone wants to send you something, they just send it to your name, general delivery, and whatever city you’re in. I was able to get letters and packages from friends that way.
Turns out, I don’t need Amazon. At home, I rely a lot on Amazon and online shopping. But with the risk of being gone before a package arrived, I didn’t order much online. I got a few things delivered to the PO box when I had it, but I probably could have survived without those. I’m going to try to continue relying less on Amazon and their lovely 2-day shipping. There’s not much I REALLY need within two days most times.
Focusmate is great. I tried a couple of virtual coworking tools and learned about Focusmate, which connects you with another person to work together for either 25 or 50 minutes. At the beginning of the session, you set your intentions, and then you check back in at the end. I was skeptical that it would work for me, but it absolutely does. I’ve been more productive since I started. I’ll keep using it in my back-home routine.
What Made This Possible
A lot of things had to come together to make something like this happen for me. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to pick up my life for two months and continue working from wherever I want.
If I didn’t work for myself, I don’t think I would have even thought about working a winter away, even though with my last job, I probably could have. Running my own business and having understanding, flexible clients was a big piece of making this happen.
I’m blessed to have the fiscal freedom to take a trip like this. It’s not exactly cheap to drive 1500 miles across the country, rent a place for two months, go on adventures, and drive back. But my business success allows me to spend the money and keep my income stream while being out and about. And for me, it’s worth the financial cost to avoid a depressive episode.
My solid support system was also key in making this trip a success. My friends and family helped me plan the trip, checked in on me every step of the way, and helped give me the little slice of human contact (albeit virtual) I needed.
Final Thoughts
I’m happy to say I have no regrets about the trip. The shoddy internet was tough, but I worked around it and built a good routine. The long drives were tiring but beautiful. Six days on the road seems worth it for two months of sun and warmth.
I’m so lucky to be able to take a trip like this, and I look forward to my next one.