I am a Texan going to school in California, and have made the thousand-mile journey four times now. Usually, my parents and I split up the 18-hour drive into two parts, like most levelheaded people would do. However, the summer after my freshman year two of my best friends and I loaded into a 1960's Volkswagen van and drove straight through the night from Texas to California, and four days later, we turned around and drove another 18 straight hours back home. On that trip, I learned that there are three phases in a cross country road trip: the optimist, the valley of dry bones, and finally, the revival.

Hours 1-8: The Optimist Phase

When traveling cross-country, there will be a longer stamina for the optimist phase. If you were traveling simply across a state, this phase could be cut in half. It’s when everyone in the car is happy, caffeinated and carefree. It is when the songs are sung out of tune, several selfies are taken, and expectations for the trip are shared.

There is no room for negative thoughts during the optimist phase as the mile odometer quickly clicks away. Everyone has made promises to the driver that they won't be the one's to fall asleep, and the driver can count on them to help keep them awake. As you reach the final hours of the optimist phase, however, the people in your car will slow their speech as their eyelids get heavier.

Hours 9-15: The Valley of Dry Bones Phase

The Dry Bones phase is the hardest to get through. During these hours it is typical for only the driver and the navigator to be awake, although some trips may require a person to help keep the navigator awake. It is the point where the driver feels the sleep deprivation, you have exhausted every possible comfortable seating position, and the all caffeine has been consumed.

The valley of the dry bones phase is the phase hit us the hardest when we were in the middle of Needles, California. If anyone has driven through Needles, you know this is the place where road trip dreams go to die This phase is not a pretty sight. During this phase, one of my friends kept herself entertained for thirty minutes by putting coins on her fingers while her hand was out the window to see if the wind would keep it in place.

I had accidentally fallen asleep for a few hours in the early morning hours of the drive. However, with my renewed strength I was able to start a new conversation between my two friends, reach in the back of the van for water, and get their minds off the never ending Needles. Coincidentally, once we got out Needles, we got out of the dry bones phase.

Hours 16-21: Revival

The Revival phase is the final phase of the cross-country road trip. It’s when the final destination is closer than the starting point and there is finally a gas station where the driver and navigator can have their caffeine and snacks. The rest of the car is awake and ready to get out of the car that they have been stuck in for more than a full day or night.

We were finally out of Needles, and only a few hours out from the beach. The hours went by quickly as the flat land gave way to rolling green hills and busy freeways. My friend navigated the loaded van down the freeway until we finally reached Huntington Beach.

Some people say that it’s not about the destination itself, but the journey to the destination. Those people have never been in a non-air-conditioned VW van for 20 hours and then jumped in the cold ocean.