Nissan to #50
Donation protected
My Nissan Story began a little over 13 years ago, when I purchased my 2005 Nissan Frontier in Las Vegas, NV. I was barely 22 and looking for adventure!! But, first let me give you a little back-story….
See, I’ve never had it “easy”, matter of fact my childhood was not very great at all and I wondered a lot when I was younger if my family was even mine because I didn’t understand how people who are suppose to care about you the most, could hurt you so badly and/or allow it.
But, I didn’t let that keep me down and after moving away from an abusive household at 9 and into an alcohol fueled one I kept my hope that one day I would be free from the chaos.
After graduating high school a year early and barely 17 I left that place too. I moved to Utah less then 6 weeks after graduation and a week before September 11th, 2001. That was a turning point for me and I vowed to really get out and enjoy life for the first time before it was too late.
I began to really appreciate the true beauty that was all around me and couldn’t get enough! I started hiking, climbing, snowboarding, fishing, camping, took trips to Moab and Lake Powell, got lost in the beauties of Zions and Bryce Canyon (Which would later become my son’s name). I started building this passion for wanting to see more and not just in Utah but also all over America!
When I was 21 and after 4 years together, my ex turned abusive, I believe he started using drugs, and I didn’t stand for it. So, shortly after my 21st birthday I moved to Las Vegas. On the way there my 1stcar broke down in Mesquite, NV and I was really down on my luck at this point.
Needless to say I made it to Las Vegas, no car, trying to figure out what to do with my life but it wasn’t long before I found a good job, paid off my credit cards moved into my own place and things really started to come back together. From there I just needed one thing, a new truck! Yes, truck because after my car experience, I was over cars!!
I went to a Nissan dealership and even though the interest rate was 18%!!!!!! (I know, I know but I had no credit, no money down and no car so what do you do?) I drove home that day in my #SilverBulletNissan proud as could be!! And, the first thing I did was hit the road for a road trip, nowhere special but I finally felt free!! I was at peace for the first time in a long time.
It’s my escape! When I’m driving I don’t suffer from anxiety, I’m not sad about the things I can’t change but still bother me, my OCD & PTSD disappear, my shoulder finally relaxes and I can breath again!
Most that know me kind of think it’s strange that I suffer from PTSD, (I’ve been a passenger in 6 dramatically different car accidents), yet can be so comfortable behind the wheel and that’s just it! Behind the wheel my fears disappear! It makes me whole. It’s my therapy. So these days, I tend to do a lot more driving then riding.
From the moment I purchase my truck I knew I wanted to take it places. I didn’t have a clue where or when but that feeling never left. Spent some time on a road trip when I moved from Las Vegas to Washington in 2006, just my dog and I and it’s one of the best experiences of my young life. Just not having a care in the world. It was an incredible felling.
It wasn’t more the 48 hours after being in Washington that I reconnected with an old high school crush and I’m thrilled to say this October will mark our 20 years knowing each other and 10 years married! Talk about Fate! We have one child who we named after Bryce Canyon National Park and later we found out that Bryce Canyon City, UT was established the year our son was born. We’ve always thought that was pretty cool.
Now my husband didn’t do much traveling or road tripping when I reconnected with him, but it didn’t take me long to change that and next thing you know in 2007, it’s a family affair! Any chance we could we were adding pins to our map and crossing destinations off our bucket list and it hasn’t stopped even today.
It’s been an amazing 13 years since I bought my #SilverBulletNissan and I haven’t stopped road tripping. I’ve accomplished 49 states (Hawaii will be #50), 23 of the 44 National Parks it can actually travel to in the “lower 48” states, it’s driven the lowest paved road in North America Badwater Basin Death Valley, CA, Highest Paved road in North America Mt. Evan’s, CO, and the loneliest paved road in North America Hwy 50 running through Nevada. Not just the United States of America, these are for the entire North American Continent.
That’s not all though, it’s been to the 4 corners of AZ, UT, CO, NM, the Western most point of “the lower 48” Cape Alava, WA but has also traveled to the geographical center of the “lower 48” Lebanon, KS, the geographical center of all 50 state 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, SD but also recently became the “First Official Visitor to the new geographical center of the entire North American Continent” in Center City, ND! What an honor that was!! It still blows my mind that my truck and I are officially apart of history!
It would probably take me a long time to list all the destinations it’s traveled but I have started keeping track and to date, I am well over 150!!
Places like Graceland, The Country Music Hall A Fame, Cape Hatteras, NC, Golden Gate Bridge, Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont, Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, Cadillac Ranch, Both Shoe Trees, Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, Wyoming Dinosaur Museum, Hoover Dam, Horseshoe Bend (which I highly recommended), and I could go on.
To me my truck is family. It’s not only been a vehicle but a home at times, a u-haul, a dump truck, tow truck, limo, taxi and hideout. But, there is still one title my truck is missing, Traveling in all 50 states! Hawaii! It needs to touch tread and drive on our beautiful island state!! So, today I decided I have to try. It’s been a long time goal and dream and I can’t give up now. Some see it as a waste of money, but I see it as staying true to yourself and never giving up until you’ve done all you can and then try it all over again.
So, here I am asking for help in achieving this longtime goal that always seems to be just beyond reach. Traveling to Hawaii is not cheap and shipping a vehicle roundtrip is a lot too. Plus, I’ll need to be without my truck for possibly 8 weeks and that has always deterred me a little but I’m ready to commit and do whatever I can to get it there.
I spend all year planning for a 7-9 day road trip and saving all year as well, but this is one, no matter how hard I try to save for it, the money ends up getting spent on something that “comes up”, i.e. new tires, rack & pinion, dental work, medical expenses, life as I like to say. And, it drives me crazy.
After making history by becoming the first visitors to the center of North America I have to complete this chapter! I decided to start a gofundme so friends, family and supporters had a way to contribute to making this a reality for me and my #SilverBulletNissan. No more birthday gifts or Christmas presents please, this is the only thing I really “want” and your help in reaching this goal would mean more to me then anything.
To drive on that island knowing you all helped make it happen for me, I can only imagine it will be very emotional!!
If you’ve made it this far, Thank You!! I greatly appreciate your time and for reading my story. I hope you’ll consider contributing by donation and/or sharing this and Thank you again, I hope one day to be able to update you with a picture from Hawaii of Me & My #SilverBulletNissan!!
See, I’ve never had it “easy”, matter of fact my childhood was not very great at all and I wondered a lot when I was younger if my family was even mine because I didn’t understand how people who are suppose to care about you the most, could hurt you so badly and/or allow it.
But, I didn’t let that keep me down and after moving away from an abusive household at 9 and into an alcohol fueled one I kept my hope that one day I would be free from the chaos.
After graduating high school a year early and barely 17 I left that place too. I moved to Utah less then 6 weeks after graduation and a week before September 11th, 2001. That was a turning point for me and I vowed to really get out and enjoy life for the first time before it was too late.
I began to really appreciate the true beauty that was all around me and couldn’t get enough! I started hiking, climbing, snowboarding, fishing, camping, took trips to Moab and Lake Powell, got lost in the beauties of Zions and Bryce Canyon (Which would later become my son’s name). I started building this passion for wanting to see more and not just in Utah but also all over America!
When I was 21 and after 4 years together, my ex turned abusive, I believe he started using drugs, and I didn’t stand for it. So, shortly after my 21st birthday I moved to Las Vegas. On the way there my 1stcar broke down in Mesquite, NV and I was really down on my luck at this point.
Needless to say I made it to Las Vegas, no car, trying to figure out what to do with my life but it wasn’t long before I found a good job, paid off my credit cards moved into my own place and things really started to come back together. From there I just needed one thing, a new truck! Yes, truck because after my car experience, I was over cars!!
I went to a Nissan dealership and even though the interest rate was 18%!!!!!! (I know, I know but I had no credit, no money down and no car so what do you do?) I drove home that day in my #SilverBulletNissan proud as could be!! And, the first thing I did was hit the road for a road trip, nowhere special but I finally felt free!! I was at peace for the first time in a long time.
It’s my escape! When I’m driving I don’t suffer from anxiety, I’m not sad about the things I can’t change but still bother me, my OCD & PTSD disappear, my shoulder finally relaxes and I can breath again!
Most that know me kind of think it’s strange that I suffer from PTSD, (I’ve been a passenger in 6 dramatically different car accidents), yet can be so comfortable behind the wheel and that’s just it! Behind the wheel my fears disappear! It makes me whole. It’s my therapy. So these days, I tend to do a lot more driving then riding.
From the moment I purchase my truck I knew I wanted to take it places. I didn’t have a clue where or when but that feeling never left. Spent some time on a road trip when I moved from Las Vegas to Washington in 2006, just my dog and I and it’s one of the best experiences of my young life. Just not having a care in the world. It was an incredible felling.
It wasn’t more the 48 hours after being in Washington that I reconnected with an old high school crush and I’m thrilled to say this October will mark our 20 years knowing each other and 10 years married! Talk about Fate! We have one child who we named after Bryce Canyon National Park and later we found out that Bryce Canyon City, UT was established the year our son was born. We’ve always thought that was pretty cool.
Now my husband didn’t do much traveling or road tripping when I reconnected with him, but it didn’t take me long to change that and next thing you know in 2007, it’s a family affair! Any chance we could we were adding pins to our map and crossing destinations off our bucket list and it hasn’t stopped even today.
It’s been an amazing 13 years since I bought my #SilverBulletNissan and I haven’t stopped road tripping. I’ve accomplished 49 states (Hawaii will be #50), 23 of the 44 National Parks it can actually travel to in the “lower 48” states, it’s driven the lowest paved road in North America Badwater Basin Death Valley, CA, Highest Paved road in North America Mt. Evan’s, CO, and the loneliest paved road in North America Hwy 50 running through Nevada. Not just the United States of America, these are for the entire North American Continent.
That’s not all though, it’s been to the 4 corners of AZ, UT, CO, NM, the Western most point of “the lower 48” Cape Alava, WA but has also traveled to the geographical center of the “lower 48” Lebanon, KS, the geographical center of all 50 state 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, SD but also recently became the “First Official Visitor to the new geographical center of the entire North American Continent” in Center City, ND! What an honor that was!! It still blows my mind that my truck and I are officially apart of history!
It would probably take me a long time to list all the destinations it’s traveled but I have started keeping track and to date, I am well over 150!!
Places like Graceland, The Country Music Hall A Fame, Cape Hatteras, NC, Golden Gate Bridge, Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont, Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, Cadillac Ranch, Both Shoe Trees, Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, Wyoming Dinosaur Museum, Hoover Dam, Horseshoe Bend (which I highly recommended), and I could go on.
To me my truck is family. It’s not only been a vehicle but a home at times, a u-haul, a dump truck, tow truck, limo, taxi and hideout. But, there is still one title my truck is missing, Traveling in all 50 states! Hawaii! It needs to touch tread and drive on our beautiful island state!! So, today I decided I have to try. It’s been a long time goal and dream and I can’t give up now. Some see it as a waste of money, but I see it as staying true to yourself and never giving up until you’ve done all you can and then try it all over again.
So, here I am asking for help in achieving this longtime goal that always seems to be just beyond reach. Traveling to Hawaii is not cheap and shipping a vehicle roundtrip is a lot too. Plus, I’ll need to be without my truck for possibly 8 weeks and that has always deterred me a little but I’m ready to commit and do whatever I can to get it there.
I spend all year planning for a 7-9 day road trip and saving all year as well, but this is one, no matter how hard I try to save for it, the money ends up getting spent on something that “comes up”, i.e. new tires, rack & pinion, dental work, medical expenses, life as I like to say. And, it drives me crazy.
After making history by becoming the first visitors to the center of North America I have to complete this chapter! I decided to start a gofundme so friends, family and supporters had a way to contribute to making this a reality for me and my #SilverBulletNissan. No more birthday gifts or Christmas presents please, this is the only thing I really “want” and your help in reaching this goal would mean more to me then anything.
To drive on that island knowing you all helped make it happen for me, I can only imagine it will be very emotional!!
If you’ve made it this far, Thank You!! I greatly appreciate your time and for reading my story. I hope you’ll consider contributing by donation and/or sharing this and Thank you again, I hope one day to be able to update you with a picture from Hawaii of Me & My #SilverBulletNissan!!
Organizer
Brittney Gibson
Organizer
Silverdale, WA
