Love is a highway

How crazy road trips sparked the deepest romance I've had

WHO takes a car to a first date in New York?

Julien did. He picked me up at the door of my apartment building in his gently used sedan and whisked me off to a restaurant on the banks of the Hudson River in Hastings, NY, electronic music thumping from the speakers.

I should have guessed that his love of open interstates, of adventure, speed and novelty, presaged more outings to come. Indeed, ever since that night in 2014, road trips at home and abroad continue to define, test and strengthen our relationship.

Only Julien would want to spend a three-day weekend in Alaska. Twice. The first time, we glacier-hopped along the peninsula between Seward and Homer. Total: 517 miles. The next year, we drove a whopping 817-mile loop skirting Denali National Park, Fairbanks and Delta Junction (pop. 948).

Hours upon hours in a rental car lead to conversations that meander from politics to childhood memories to fantasies for the future. Negotiations ensue, compromises form. How much time should we spend listening to his deep house, my pop playlists or NPR? I know Julien’s favorite rest-stop beverages (Coke Zero, watereddown coffee) and roadside cuisine (Mexican). We laugh as we pass towns with names like No Name (Colorado), Truth and Consequences (New Mexico) and North Pole (Alaska). We cry talking about deaths in our families.

The first few days of each new year are spent out West with Julien's brother. It was Salt Lake to Vegas in 2015 (762 miles), while 2016 saw Phoenix to El Paso to Albuquerque (836 miles). We welcomed 2017 with 730 miles across Nevada’s ghost town-flecked Route 50 (inset), the “loneliest road” in the country. Not for us

Our actual and metaphorical journeys are full of speed bumps and potholes, sugary snacks and makeshift bathrooms. We disagree on whether speed limits are a rule or suggestion and how much time to spend in the car versus seeing sights. Sometimes my way prevails; other times it’s his path we follow. If travel imitates life, then we’re learning to enjoy the ride — and each other — despite the occasional spat. Travel together results in intimate, inimitable shared experiences, which bring us even closer.

Our mantra might as well be “have love, will travel.” Maybe yours should be, too.

Head over to NYPost.com/Travel for the full essay.