Day 19 return to Albany Oregon to plan the trip east

I dedicate today’s blog post to the topic of planning.  I am smiling in the picure above because we took advantage of a rainy day to finalize the eastward portion of our trip across America. 



Rainy sky over Oregon

My preferred planning style is like a dog rolling in the mud.  I like to pour over maps and travel books. As my ideas crystallize I create spreadsheets, custom maps from AAA and RoadtripAmerica.  The routes and itineraries undergo countless revisions and my file of resource materials grows. If I had been on Lewis and Clark’s team, we would have drawn the map first!

Even those who think I overdo the process like the result.  We always have a warm, comfortable place to say and a destination from which to wander. The question “What is there to do in…?” is always just a flip of the pages (or screen’s) away.  My plans work because they are not railroad tracks to be followed slavishly, but more like a detailed wish that can be freely adapted as time and mood dictate.

This trip is a case in point.  The only fixed feature each day is a little driving and a destination where we will sleep.  The short (200-300 miles per day) travel distances (a planned interval) have allowed for countless side trips and excursions off the interstates. We have even cancelled a couple of reservations and substituted when the whim intruded.

I would love to hear your ideas about trip plans.

The trip east was driven in part by the nearly total absence of vacancies on both sides of Yellowstone National park. This forced our route up into Montana.  During the westward portion of the trip we developed a preference for small, out of the way places with history.    On the trip east we will visit places like Bozeman, Montana and Deadwood, South Dakota that I have only read about in Tony Hillerman’s books. We will spend a day in Wall, South Dakota reveling in delights such as the old town around Wall Drug. With any luck we will see Devil’s Tower outside of Spearman, Montana.  This time our routes through Wisconsin and Illinois will skip from one little community to the next and forgo cities like Madison and Chicago. 

 Now for some unfinished business.  Bob, this picture is for you. Gloria photographed this buffalo as it was trying to climb in her window. The picture is a little blurred because the beast was right on top of us. I also think that Gloria was a little upset that I lowered the window to help her get the shot.  Is the critter in the picture above what you had in mind for us to bring back? This one belongs to the Park Service, and was too big to fit into the Subaru, but we will keep an eye out for a stray for you.  BTW is buffalo Kosher?

Stay tuned for our progress.