We are on the road just a tad over 3 months. Last night, post dinner, we sat outside and took a sort of inventory of the trips so far. There are have been so many stops that as times it's difficult to remember where you saw something or what city you at a certain dish.
We pushed off with the idea that if this adventure didn't live up to our hopes that turning around and going home certainly wasn't a big deal. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We traded a known for an unknown. We could always go back to the known. Not having a fixed place to live makes this possible. What would normally be spent on housing and utilities is now used for our lodging.
This trip has been everything I expected and then some. Financially we are where I expected to be. We had 2 great deals where we stayed for the entire month. Having full kitchens lets us make some meals at home. Many of the meals we eat out have ample portions where we always seem to have some leftovers. Most of our hotel options offer a breakfast spread. Some days are busy running around and we end up only eating 2 meals.
Our packing for a long road trip was critical. We didn't want to roll down the road looking like the Beverly Hillbillies. Both of us took minimal stuff. We brought tennis rackets but have yet to play. In hindsight those could have been left home. We knew 1 of our stops had kayaks for our use. I brought 2 inflatable life jackets but only used them once. I don't like to wear the kapok style vest since they restrict your movement. But I could have sucked it up for 1 after noon. And I'm of an age where I realize it's in my best interest to ALWAYS wear a PFD while on the water. My binoculars have gotten little usage so far but I'm hoping to use them more out west. Other than that I don't think there is anything that I miss.
We have had a boat load of experiences. I spent some time with a guy I went to high school with. We've seen a few state capitols and lots of historical sights. There has been ample down time and quite a few soaks in the hot tub. We've gone down into caves and up to the highest buildings in the city. We haven't taken enough photographs. Evenings have been spent chatting with strangers about our journey. I haven't caught enough fish (7 so far). We began when the temperature was still brisk. Now we find ourselves regularly in 90+ degree temps. That should change here in a few weeks.
You notice things that are different from the places that you are familiar with. I've discovered that every area has unique convenience stores. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sheets or a Wawas. Iowa has the crudely named Kum & Go. People are people but the further west we travel, the less stressed and friendlier they seem. I chalk that up to the openness out this way. People aren't all jammed in together and traffic jams are almost non existent.
The time has flown by. I look forward to more adventures. I'm ever grateful for this opportunity, at this stage in my life, to be able to see many of the sight in this spectacular country. I have an awesome travel partner and the perfect planner for this type of road tripping. I await more excitement down the line.
We pushed off with the idea that if this adventure didn't live up to our hopes that turning around and going home certainly wasn't a big deal. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We traded a known for an unknown. We could always go back to the known. Not having a fixed place to live makes this possible. What would normally be spent on housing and utilities is now used for our lodging.
This trip has been everything I expected and then some. Financially we are where I expected to be. We had 2 great deals where we stayed for the entire month. Having full kitchens lets us make some meals at home. Many of the meals we eat out have ample portions where we always seem to have some leftovers. Most of our hotel options offer a breakfast spread. Some days are busy running around and we end up only eating 2 meals.
Our packing for a long road trip was critical. We didn't want to roll down the road looking like the Beverly Hillbillies. Both of us took minimal stuff. We brought tennis rackets but have yet to play. In hindsight those could have been left home. We knew 1 of our stops had kayaks for our use. I brought 2 inflatable life jackets but only used them once. I don't like to wear the kapok style vest since they restrict your movement. But I could have sucked it up for 1 after noon. And I'm of an age where I realize it's in my best interest to ALWAYS wear a PFD while on the water. My binoculars have gotten little usage so far but I'm hoping to use them more out west. Other than that I don't think there is anything that I miss.
We have had a boat load of experiences. I spent some time with a guy I went to high school with. We've seen a few state capitols and lots of historical sights. There has been ample down time and quite a few soaks in the hot tub. We've gone down into caves and up to the highest buildings in the city. We haven't taken enough photographs. Evenings have been spent chatting with strangers about our journey. I haven't caught enough fish (7 so far). We began when the temperature was still brisk. Now we find ourselves regularly in 90+ degree temps. That should change here in a few weeks.
You notice things that are different from the places that you are familiar with. I've discovered that every area has unique convenience stores. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sheets or a Wawas. Iowa has the crudely named Kum & Go. People are people but the further west we travel, the less stressed and friendlier they seem. I chalk that up to the openness out this way. People aren't all jammed in together and traffic jams are almost non existent.
The time has flown by. I look forward to more adventures. I'm ever grateful for this opportunity, at this stage in my life, to be able to see many of the sight in this spectacular country. I have an awesome travel partner and the perfect planner for this type of road tripping. I await more excitement down the line.
I would never have expected that. Thank y'all for the very descriptive posts and the pics. Vrai said y'all caught a bug. I hope y'all feel better soon.
