We're Off!

Here we are about to leave Colchester behind.  Gloria is a bit camera shy, but in the interest of truth she agreed to this picture since in fact, she launched the trip as driver.  She said something about me being a bit too frantic and too in love with maps, GPS devices, and packing to make a good driver at the beginning of the trip.  On the subject of packing, notice the clear roof and no clutter showing in the windows.  While we did add several bags, mostly the packing was pretty light. 

What is it about going on a trip that wind's me up so? 

The trip through up state NY was beautiful. Sunny, hot (90+). By the time we reached the exit for Fonda, we were tired of the interstate(90) and dropped off the highway.  Routes 5 and 80 through rural farming country and then 20 took us to a little town called Cazanovia which has a Victorian mansion and museum we wanted to visit.  It was closed today (Tuesday) but the bathrooms were unlocked!! The older readers will get it.  Still a nice drive.  Spent an early evening drinking wine and eating salad and pasta with Mark, the manager of the Hampton Inn in East Syracuse.  An hour in the gym wore off some of the wine and food and a little of the stiffness from the road.

Here I am in front of a little restaurant along rt 20 in Richfield Springs.  Great food, friendly people, and currently nothing to do with horses.  The friendly explanation is that the horse fancier has grown up and is now a mother of three and married to an antique car fancier.

Until tomorrow!

Here is a recent sunset over Long Island Sound. I spent the today being frantic about things that needed to be done before our departure. Some didn't get done (no surprise there). I always stress out with preparations, but I can feel the carefree feeling of being on the road creeping in like a trickle of electric current to a variable speed drill. Soon I will be humming along, charged but relaxed. Tomorrow we start to chase the sun toward the Pacific. Here is the itinerary for the westward portion of the trip, listing daily destinations. 

 

May 31, Syracuse, NY

June 1, Youngstown, Ohio

June 2. Merrillville, IN,

June 3, Tomah, WI.

June 4, Sioux Falls, SD.

June 5, Rapid City, SD

June 6, Billings, Montana

June 7, Cody WY. 

June 10, Idaho Falls, Idaho

June 11, Boise(Nampa), Idaho

June 12, Bend, Oregon

June 13, Albany, Oregon via Crater Lake

June 14, Vancouver, WA

 June 17 Seattle, WA

The stops were chosen to be around 300 miles apart, and avoid major eastern population centers.  We also chose the stops to include attractions about half way between them.  The volume of stuff we are bringing has crept up by about a bushel, not bad considering. 

See you on the highway.

Stuff

What do you bring on a road trip? Part of the reason for traveling is to escape the burden created by all the stuff we have acquired, but we seem to pack enough to recreate the very places we wish to escape.  I wonder what the minimum is.  The fictional Jack Reacher (Lee Child) seems to have it down to what he is wearing, a credit card, and a toothbrush. I could probably do that, well except for my AAA card, driver’s license, a bag with my prescription medications, spare glasses, a cell phone, GPS, laptop, maps, a few changes of underwear, and gifts for people we are visiting along the way. See how it creeps?  I started out a lean traveler and ended up a Walmart!  The stack pictured is our system for deciding what to bring.  If it fits into one of these bags it comes.  If not we do without or there will be a real Walmart along the way.    Or we will find another bag.



Here is a picture of Gloria and I in 1972.

Marriage anyone?

Today, May 27, is the 39th wedding anniversary for Gloria and I. Being a romantic I have to say this celebrates the finalizing of the very best decision of my life.  The couple in the picture below is Adam and Ruth.   I married  them earlier this month in my role as Justice of the Peace. I have the privilege of doing one or two of these every year.  These couples are a good reminder of the importance of continuing to invest in intimate relationships – they are worth it. 

What I am leaving behind

This little spot is one of the comfortable, quiet spaces for reading and writing that we will be leaving behind. It overlooks a pool deck, a couple of acres of lawn and an equal amount of second growth forest. We carved this nook out of what was a screen porch until last year.  The windows (30 of them) went in last fall along with the exterior siding.  We plan to finish the inside walls, window trim, and new flooring when we return from visiting the rest of America.  Gloria and I have pounded every nail and cut every board in this home ourselves. In an age of specialists, it seems a little self indulgent to be do-it-yourself junkies, but there is something to be said for living in a creation of your own hands.  We will probably miss working on the place as much as we will miss our son Andrew who is looking after it for us.

Why this blog?

Why this blog?

This blog arose in response to a request that I post on line photos from an impending trip across America. This led me to think about the reasons for the trip, the same reasons why I quit the best job on earth a couple years ago. Simply stated those reasons were: to live consciously, to remember, to understand, and to entertain.  Since writing is a great way to accomplish all four, I decided to go beyond a photo gallery and include reflections about America as I experience it along the way.

Initially the site will feature pictures and commentary related to a car trip from Connecticut to Seattle, Washington through the northern tier of the USA. My intrepid wife, Gloria, and I are taking the trusty Subaru Outback on a month long trek that will include lots of off the beaten path wanderings as well as visits to distant relatives and friends we have not yet met.  If my motivation survives and relatives and friends continue to post comments I plan to continue to blog when we return.

Since this is my maiden voyage into blogging I expect that the blog will change (improve, I hope) over the weeks.  Feedback is welcome.

David