I wandered around the state park and drove to a lake somebody had told me about. It was completely empty because of the rain, but luckily, just then the storm started to break. I jumped in, and, as clichéd as it sounds, I felt all my cares slip away as I floated on my back and stared at the rapidly clearing sky. We made it halfway! We had a crazy 1,095 miles behind us and another 1,095 to go. We had everything we needed—each other—and that was enough. I closed my eyes, held my breath, and felt the water get colder as I sank below the surface.
