“We can't lower our guard. We are still far from half-time.”

 Erna Solberg, Norway’s Prime Minister

Since March, when our Florida county detected its first virus cases, we stayed safe in our home, venturing out only for a few miles of exercise on uncrowded sidewalks or to make occasional grocery forays armed with masks, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.

By June, the month of our annual migration to our vacation home in Maine, the virus was still a threat. We wanted to head north for a number of reasons but we were unsure what COVID-19 conditions we might encounter during the journey.

We ruled out flying since sitting in recycled air with a bunch of strangers for a few hours didn’t seem advisable. The alternative was driving. The plus was it meant only the two of us would be sharing the space. The minuses were the stops we’d have to make for bathroom breaks, gas, food and sleeping but we decided we could be in control of the risks with careful planning and taking adequate precautions. 

In addition to bringing our masks, wipes and hand sanitizer, we prepared in a couple of other ways. We purchased cotton bed sacks to sleep in. They allow you to avoid direct contact with hotel bedding and even have a pouch to insert pillows. We also filled a cooler with food so we could avoid dining in restaurants. 

Since we didn’t want to linger anywhere, we planned for two overnights and no visits to family and friends along the route. As for hotel choices, we had heard positive things about the way one chain was operating during this challenging time and made reservations through them.

On a partly sunny, 75 degree, Monday in mid-June, we set out with some trepidation at 7am. Our first stop was a rest area in northern Florida about two hours later. We put on our masks to enter the rest rooms but were dismayed to see few other travelers doing the same. There were no precaution signs either. Not a promising start.

In Georgia, we ate lunch in the car— some of our brought food and coffee from McDonald’s. 

A South Carolina rest area had good cleaning precautions making us feel safer. In addition, many travelers were wearing masks. The only downer was the weather—showers.

North Carolina was our target state for the first overnight, so I did a mobile check-in for the hotel after we crossed the state line. Then the problems began. First the showers turned to hard rain, and after a rest stop, the car wouldn’t start for a few agonizing moments. When it finally turned over, the ABS light, traction light and 4WD light all came on! We googled and it sounded like it might be a sensor problem and could still be driven, so we continued on our way with fingers crossed.

At the traffic light just around the corner from our hotel in Rocky Mount, the car died again and wouldn’t restart. Two good Samaritans helped push the car while I steered it as far as it would go. They pushed again and I steered it to the hotel parking lot. It was still raining. One of the guys opened the hood and discovered one of the terminals on our new battery hadn’t been tightened enough when it was installed. He borrowed a wrench from the hotel, tightened it and the car started right up.

The hotel lobby was empty except for 2 people behind the reception desk not wearing masks. The only contact though was when one of them handed us our key cards. The hotel restaurant was closed. Our room was clean but I wiped handles, switches, etc. with disinfectant wipes. For dinner, we microwaved baked penne we brought from home and poured some wine. We relaxed into our bed sacks, shedding the stress of the day.

Tuesday started with pouring rain. After coffee in our room, we left the hotel after dropping key cards into bowl of liquid disinfectant. After coffee and egg McMuffins from a McDonald’s drive-thru, we headed north.

 In Virginia, where we had on-again, off-again rain, we were surprised to see a large Confederate flag flying next to the highway just south of Petersburg, VA. It felt especially insensitive in the wake of several recent killings of unarmed Black men. 

 A Virginia rest stop sign said face masks were required to enter the restrooms and Virginia highway signs said, “If you have to travel, do so safely.”

The rain stopped in Maryland and highway signs there said, “If out and about, do your part. Keep social distance.” Except for Delaware, all of the next states we passed through had highway signs pertaining to COVID-19 caution. New Jersey’s said, “Face coverings required in service areas.” New York had two different signs: “Outside with no mask? Fuhgeddaboudit!” and “Wear masks in public. Wash hands with soap.” Connecticut followed with, “Connecticut respect: If you have to ask, wear a mask.” Our second overnight target state, Massachusetts, declared, “All travelers entering Massachusetts are urged to self-quarantine for 14 days.” 

After the Massachusetts state line, I did a mobile check-in for our hotel in Worcester. The hotel lobby was empty except for one guy at the reception desk behind a clear plastic partition and the floor was marked for social distancing. Again, there was no contact, except for the key card handover. The hotel restaurant was closed. Our room was clean but I wiped down surfaces just to be sure. We microwaved pizza slices we brought from home and drank some wine then slept in our bed sacks. 

Our last day on the road was sunny. As we left the hotel, we deposited our key cards in a receptacle at the parking lot exit. Breakfast was a Dunkin stop for coffee and sandwiches which we ate at a picnic table outdoors with no other people nearby. Knowing we’d have to self-quarantine in Maine, we made two grocery stops in Massachusetts to stock up. Market Basket limited customers to 127 and had one-way aisles. Customers and store personnel wore masks. Costco had the cart handles wiped down and masks seemed universal there as well.

I noticed no highway signage in New Hampshire but Maine greeted us with, “Executive order – non-essential persons entering Maine must 14-day self-quarantine.” When we entered our little mountain lake town, Rangeley, a road sign reminded us once more, “Welcome…Remember Social Distance…Quarantine.”