Scenery Saturation

I came on this trip with my usual assortment of activities to do in my spare time. Books to read, embroidery projects, even a coloring book and pencils--those adult types you can suddenly find everywhere. I had expected to write a lot. And much to my surprise, after the first week, I have had no time to do any of it!

No time to read? Come on! I always read in the car.

Nope. During the day we are so busy traveling through this amazing countryside I don't dare pick up a book and become oblivious to all but the story taking place in it's pages. Instead, I am absorbing towering cliffs in every shade of  coral, pink, white, and red.

Colorado River Canyon Road out of Moab, Utah

I am soaking in vistas that spread out below me as I try to stand upright against the swirling winds that are alternately threatening to blow me over the side, or trying to push me backwards from the edge.

Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument

I am snapping photographs with both my iPhone and my little digital camera as quickly as I see them, before they disappear around the next curve in the road. No. There is no time to read.

Back at the RV, we unpack the car from the myriad of travel guides, pamphlets, park maps, and the assorted snacks we carried out in the morning, neatly contained in a canvas bag, that have now become scattered around the car. We gather up the empty water bottles and the picnic cooler and grab the latest purchase from gift stores or grocery stores and drag it all inside to be sorted and put away.

Then it's time to scrounge up some dinner. Finally, somewhere around 8 (or 9) we have cleared the detritus of the day and I am ready to snuggle into jammies and slippers and relax. Until Larry says, "Have you downloaded pictures yet?"

Pictures! The curse of the digital age! Today, as I stood under a cliff, water dripping down splattering my shoes, and gazed at the steep canyon walls and lush canyon floor before me, I heard another fellow trekker say to his wife, "Remember when we thought 24 was a lot?".

Indeed! I do. We waited weeks to get the pictures back, and then hoped they were in focus and we could remember where we were when we took them.

So now, instead of reading, or watching TV and doing needlepoint, or writing about the days adventures, I am downloading pictures off of my phone and my camera, filing them in folders so I will know where we took them, and then scrolling through to label, delete, or crop.

And when I finally crawl into bed, I have reached Scenery Saturation. Even if I had time to write, my senses are overloaded and the words get lost. I need three or four more hours of peace and quiet in this day just to reboot.

Fortunately, a good night's sleep provides it, because I wake up each morning ready to go out and do it again!

There has been so much to see, and I promise on my next post, I will share some of the magic we have seen. But first.....

I have to go download some pictures.

Geography Lessons

The RV is packed and we have set our sites. It's Road Trip time! This trip is one we've anticipated for several months and Larry has been plotting and planning routes, campsites, and mileage to make sure we hit all the high points; National parks, spur-of-the-moment obscure corners, local highlights. We started our trip with a weekend with our RV club and then hopped on I-40 and headed west. And west. And west. It takes several days to get across this country! But along the way we learned some things.

For instance;

Oklahoma: My image: Wide open, windy, tornadoes, cowboys (thanks to the 1950's musical, "Oklahoma").

Adjusted image: homeland of Native Americans.

Teepee like tent poles are seen over most picnic areas

In the 1830's the United States began the Indian Removal program whereby they relocated Indian nations from all over the country to Oklahoma and Kansas. Before this program it was home to 7 tribes. And then 25 more tribes were relocated!

I knew about the Trail of Tears, the terrible relocation of Native Americans from their woodland regions in the east to the wide open prairies of the mid-west. But I never truly understood the size and scope of the Indian Removal Program.

Traveling through Oklahoma, there are signs of the Native American heritage everywhere.

Texas:Seeing concrete picnic tables, benches and overhead coverings brought back images of a long ago trip when I was only 12 and my family drove cross-country to visit my sister. One image that stands out in my mind is a black and white photograph of all of us standing by a roadside picnic table, one hand clamping our hats onto our heads, the other hand holding tight to a sandwich, tumbleweeds at our feet. I remember the wind that day. Whatever we put down was likely to disappear into the next county.


The picnic tables I saw this week were made of concrete, with concrete roofs overhead. The wind isn't going to blow these tables away, although it's tried its best this week! Anyone wanting to stop for a picnic lunch would be well advised to hold onto their hat and their sandwich.

Oops. Looks like the wind blew a little too hard, here!

New Mexico: Hard Scrabble Life is the only word that describes this rocky, arid terrain in the middle of the state.

Rough landscape

I-40 goes through Albuquerque to Gallup and our drive took us through some of the least hospitable land I've seen.

We never discovered the source of the really dark, black rock that we saw along the interstate. It resembled lava rock, and there is a history of old volcanic activity in a previous era.

The landscape really begins to change in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona. 

Along with the change came some questions. Like what's the difference between Mesa, Butte and Plateau?

I love the definitions I've found.

Generally speaking:

• A Butte is a small, flat-topped hill or mountain (usually higher than it is wide)
• A Mesa is a medium sized flat-topped hill or mountain.
• A Plateau is a big flat topped hill or mountain

Butte

Mesa

I guess it's all relative!

The difference between an Arroyo, a gully and a wash? Not much. They mean the same thing, a small stream or creek bed that was often dry. In the west it was called a wash. In the southwest it was called an arroyo. It depended on who settled there.

One thing for sure. Driving this stretch of I-40 has been windy! It is a wide open part of the country. The RV has been rocking along and Larry has kept a vise grip on the steering wheel. I did take my turn one day, but mostly I've been happy to sit in the co-pilot seat and just hang on.

Our goal this week was to get into the southwest and start exploring some of our National Parks, so we concentrated on driving through these states to get there. This whole week has been windy. I will be really happy to say goodbye to it. But it too, is part of this countryside. So I'll just tighten my hat and hold on tight.

And look for more geography lessons.

It's September! Where Have You Been?

I'm back! Where did I go? Well, it was summer so the short answer is "Plenty of Places." But it's been an unusual summer too. And as it all unfolded I found I was unable to find the quiet time I needed to sort through my thoughts in order to share them.

The last time I posted anything was about our fantastic trip to Alaska in May. But on that trip, we received news that my mother-in-law had suffered a stroke. Within 24 hours of returning from Alaska we were on the road to Pennsylvania. The following weeks included multiple trips to PA, saying our final goodbyes, packing up an old family homestead and preparing to 'move on' if there is such a thing. Our minds were full. Our hearts were full. Our days were full. It was a time to experience, and savor, but not to share publicly.

In between trips we had a few days here and there to try and catch up with life at home. Perhaps the best analogy of what summer meant around here came from my flowers. I planted them in mid June when I had a few days. We left for a couple of weeks only to come back and find they were gone. The wildlife had moved in and removed all of them. Yep. For awhile, that's what summer meant to me. The Best of Plan(t)s--annihilated.

There were times when I felt summer was getting away from me. I tried to make myself recognize the signs: long days, sunshine, HEAT, Green leaves!  But the constant upheaval of things we had planned made us all feel like we were missing out on something.

We had originally planned one prolonged RV trip in July and August to visit our daughter in Iowa and then do some traveling. Our other daughter was going to be in Iowa too, so we would have a family gathering for a few days. THAT trip came off as planned and it was wonderful! We had actually seen both families a couple of times already as they were able to make pilgrimages to see their grandmother, and again to be at her funeral. But this time in Iowa was just us with no distractions. One of my favorite memories was Jen, Jan and I walking the gravel road at sunset. Just a nice quiet time for the three of us.

After Iowa we went to Wisconsin, Illinois, Indianapolis, and Tennessee. One night we stopped at a campsite that had a pool. I took my towel, sunglasses and magazine and sat by the pool. I swam for a bit and then just sat and soaked in the sun and the quiet by the water. A peace descended over me and I realized, I had finally found Summer. Summer can mean lots of things. It can be symbolized in various ways. But just then, it became real in a quiet moment, sitting by the pool. They say there is an ionization of the molecules above water that soothes our souls and that is why we are drawn to water. (More factually speaking, the amount of negative ions found near moving water and in the mountains have the effect of boosting our serotonin levels making us feel better.)  All I know, is as I sat by the pool, I relaxed and breathed in Summer.

I also began to catalog what summer had been for us.
1) Time with Family--Incredible time. We have spent time with both of my sisters, both of our daughter's and their families, and all of Larry's extended family. It's been wonderful.
2) Time to Travel.
3) Time to reconnect with friends--In Alaska I met a new friend face to face that I've known online, and I ran into an old friend from a church we used to attend in Florida! Since April, I've spent time with friends from my childhood, from our old neighborhood in PA and from our old haunts in Florida as well has spending several days with new friends in an RV club.
4) Time to relax.
5) Time to share memories from the past and time to soak in the present.

It took me awhile to find summer, but when it was all said and done, I realized it's been a pretty good one. Friends, Family, Travel, Long Days, Swimming Pools...
That's what summer is all about.

Airport Bound: Travel=Workout

I've been fortunate enough to visit Alaska twice, with Larry. He goes for work and I tag along, because, well....its ALASKA! Those visits were great, but limited in where we could go because he had time constraints. This year we did the trip we've always wanted to do; the land and sea trip.

The first leg of the trip was on the Holland America Cruise ship MS Oosterdam and we visited Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway and Glacier Bay, before heading to Seward. Once on the mainland we rented a car and made our way north through Anchorage, to Denali National Park and ending up in Fairbanks.

On the first leg we flew from Atlanta to Vancouver, via Seattle. For all the sitting one does on cross country flights, I also found ways to get a little exercise in.

First I got an abs, glutes, and core workout in the shuttle that took us to the airport. As it careened out of the hotel parking lot, Larry grabbed the back of the seat in front of him. My legs were tucked under the seat and as I clutched my purse to my chest I squeezed the seat cushion with my legs. There wasn't much room in the seat so to keep myself from falling into my husband, (and subsequently pushing him onto the floor), I remembered the words of my pilates instructor and sucked my belly button back to my spine and held myself upright. At the traffic light, I relaxed and took a breath until the light turned green and we took off. It may have only been 15 minutes, but it was a great Tabata Interval workout.

Once we got to the airport, there was a discussion as to whether we needed the domestic or international terminal. We started to walk towards the international shuttle. Larry saw the domestic terminal nearby so while I kept our bags safely corralled so they couldn't run away, he headed for the door. Ten minutes later, he reappeared to say we wanted the domestic terminal, and off we headed. I'm pretty sure, he got at least half of his 10,000 steps just making those two trips.

I know by the end of the day, I had 10,000 steps in for the day, and I spent most of it 7 miles in the air, reading.

I did manage to avoid the Body Pump Weight Lifting exercise. This time I had my husband along to hoist the carry-on bag into the overhead compartment. And I was glad! That bag was heavy!!

Stay tuned for tales about the actual cruise!

A Well-Traveled Man

My husband travels a lot, and when I travel with him I get to appreciate his expertise. It used to be by car. Now it's by plane. He knows his way around most states, cities, and airports.

For instance:

On family trips it was not uncommon to come across a detour directing us to take a certain route. "Nah," says Larry. "I know a better way." And off we would go, circumventing all the traffic on the directed route and finding ourselves back on the highway ahead of everyone.

My favorite story though, happened just a couple of years ago when I was driving from Florida to Iowa. I am familiar enough with the roads in Iowa to know that interstates are only a little better than the regular roads. Those roads run straight and true and have little traffic to slow you down, unless you get behind a tractor for a mile or so. Even the 18-Wheelers move at a pretty good clip. As I was nearing St. Louis, Missouri, I made up my mind to get off the interstate and take state roads. Of course, my GPS was completely at odds with my plan. So at 4:45 on a Friday afternoon, I called my husband who was uncustomarily sitting behind a desk at the office, instead of in an airplane somewhere.

Me: "Are you still at work?"
He: "Yep."
Me: "Do me a favor and check mapquest for me. I'm near St. Louis, and I want to get off I-70 and take US 61 north towards I-80. Look and see if that makes sense. My GPS wants me to go back east to pick up another interstate. That's out of my way!
He: (without skipping a beat says) "You're in St. Louis? Stay on I-70 to Columbia. Where did you want to stay?"
Me: Drury Inn
He: At exit --- There's a Hampton Inn and the next exit has the Drury. But the best Chinese restaurant is across from the Hampton, so after you check in, go back there for dinner. Then tomorrow, take US 63 up to Des Moines. You know how to go from there."
Me: (laughing) "You haven't even looked at a map yet have you!"
He: "Nah. I know it like the back of my hand."

He could be a great travel agent.

On one trip we had a layover in the Minneapolis airport. Now if you've ever followed my blog, or read posts in February, you've heard me say, "If it snowed in Pittsburgh (where I was living) he was in Minneapolis!"
On this particular trip, as we got off the plane and looked for the next gate Larry asked me where I'd like to eat dinner. "There's a Chili's on Concourse G & H, or we can go to the Food Court where you can choose what you want. It's that way," he says pointing.

By now, you might be thinking, this guy is traveling too much. And you would be right. We are trying to change that, but it's not easy. He's cut back on travel for work. But what do we do when he's not working? We travel!

I grab my bag by the handle and follow him through the concourses, trying to look as organized and in control as he is.

And as long as I have my favorite travel agent along, things couldn't be better.

Home

I've been gone alot lately. I spent 4 weeks in Florida with Jen when she not only had a baby but had to move! Yikes! One is hard, both is insane. That is not an 'exponential' leap. One is hard. Both is insane!
So I stayed to help with the process.

Then I came home for 2 weeks before Larry and I took off on a 2 and 1/2 week vacation that included several days in North Carolina, a few days back with Jen and then our cruise!

Back home for 2 weeks.

And out to Iowa for 2 weeks with Jan, Mike, Samantha, and Warren. I love it out there. City folks think I'm crazy, I'm sure. But when I do my daily walk down a gravel road surrounded by fields and the birds are singing, and the wind isn't blowing I feel such peace. (Actually, the birds are probably singing because the wind isn't blowing!) Once you've experienced the wind you will sing when it stops!

Now I am home.

In Home is Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts, (wonderful book, by the way,) a book discussion question asks how I define home. Is it a building? A family? A place?

Home is where I find a sense of peace. It is also where I like to hang out. It is a building, for sure, but it is a building where my 'stuff' resides, that I have decorated to suit me. There is an ambiance in it that welcomes me. It is also where my family is, where my husband and dog are.

'Home' wraps it's arms around me like a security blanket. My bed welcomes me at night the way no hotel, or 'other home' can do. And in the morning when I come downstairs that sense of peace assures me I am home.


I'm glad to be here.

Transition

Long Time, No Hear.

There is something about traveling that always interrupts my flow of thought. It seems to take me a week or so to make the full transition and get back to my normal routine. As a result I haven't made any entries in my blog for a couple of weeks. The laundry is up to date, the groceries bought, and the weather has made a vast improvement so I'm getting back to normal. As a result here I am, with my latest observations on life around me.

While I was in Florida Larry would give me the weather updates; "'It's going to be 16 degrees tonight. We had snow this morning." A neighbor sent me a photo of our snow covered neighborhood, taken just a few days before I was due to come home. Talk about a Spoiler Alert!! There I was enjoying the sun and temperatures in the 80's and all I could think of was I might be going back to THAT! Oh the gloom!

Over the years I have made many trips taking me from where I wanted to be, to a place I was willing to put off getting to. I've learned that a trip that takes a couple of days to make has always helped me in that transition. As I left Florida the sun was shining and the day was beautiful. Oh how I hated to leave. However, the drive was a beautiful one. All through that day as I headed north, I saw various levels of full blown spring. The sky was clear, and trees were green. The further north I went I witnessed earlier stages of spring. By the end of the day I was seeing less green on the trees, but more early spring flowers. It had been a beautiful day, ending with an equally beautiful sunset.

The next morning as I crossed into Virginia I noticed the grass was green but the leaves were gone. I had to chuckle when each time I crossed a state border I noticed a definite difference in the signs of spring, from leaves to no leaves, flowering trees to forsythia, the earliest of the blooming plants. It was as if the weather also recognized state borders.

By the time I arrived back in Pittsburgh I had mentally reconciled to the local climate. I unpacked my shorts and put my sweatshirt back on.

I've been home for 2 weeks now. God has been good to me. Spring is here. The weatherman still offers the threat of snow, but if we get any it turns out to be 15 minutes of flurries followed by rain. Oh yes. Lots of rain. But we have enjoyed some wonderful spring days as well. Last weekend the sun came out and warmed us up. By Monday the forsythia and daffodils had popped.

Spring is fickle. Two weeks ago we had snow. One week later I was mowing the yard. But it is spring. A time of transition. And I'm glad it is here.