Your trip across country sounds very interesting! I know you will have the animals to look out for, but I'll bet the scenery will be so beautiful and relaxing.

Here is a site where you can talk to people based on where they are located: www.city-data.com. You might find out some places that you'll look forward to seeing when you get there and get an idea of what the area is like.

It sounds like the loss of connection to the outside world that was lost when the reception went out triggered some thoughts about some things (familiarity, people, etc) that you will be moving away from.