Do-Over Trips

"Imagination and fiction make up more than three quarters of our real life."

Do you remember your firsts? Well, the first time seeking out a new adventure that is? I remember as a kid we'd travel from the state of Washington to the Hill Country of Texas every couple of years to visit my father's parents. Each time we'd make this trip my father would try to make it a little more exciting than just going there and back. We'd stop along the road at many sites and cross the state lines into states we hadn't explored yet. I would lay awake at night just prior to the trip getting so excited about the next adventures we'd be on. The excitement would bring many sleepless nights before we took off.

It didn't stop there. My first trip across country, to Europe, the first cruise and so on. By the time we left for the trips, I was already tuckered out from lack of sleep. They always say the anticipation (or planning) can be more fun (or exhausting) than the trip itself. Well, I don't know about that but it's kind of like being a kid and waiting for Christmas.

Things haven't changed much as we've gotten older and retired. We take all those plans and the excitement to bed with us. Of course, this means there isn't any sleep.

It's still exciting every time we move. The anticipation of the next stop is still there. What's around the bend in that road? As a matter of fact, it even happens in do-overs. What's a do-over? It's going back and revisiting places you've already been and enjoyed. And, this is just what we're going to do now. We're going to do a do-over. After having been here for a month and remembering that we really have wheels for a reason, it's time to move on ... or move back, I took all my planning to bed with me last night. Instead of counting sheep, I started counting miles and Walmarts or Flying J's. I can do a lot of virtual traveling in those hours in bed.

It's definitely a do-over trip but the thrill is that we're moving again (hitch-itch kind of thing). We still love the thrill of the move. Oh, we don't want to move every day or so. We've discovered it's nice going someplace and staying for a week or two. Usually we're ready to get going after that. A month is a little long at least at this stage for us. I guess it's just that we have wheels and we like them to roll. Maybe that's why we currently have a home on wheels. If we wanted to stay put, we'd probably be in a house on a foundation. We're not ready to just be snowbirds either. It doesn't mean we don't like where we're at. Actually we love the beach! It just means we're ready to roll. Who knows .... we might even have another do-over and come back here to this gorgeous Florida beach town. However, we'd make it a fall or a spring trip instead a winter one.

Sometime after the first of the year we'll end up back in Quartzsite ... definitely a do-over from last January. Terry loves all the activities and vendors there. He's a shop-o-holic! That's a little slang from shopaholic but it's because that "o" in the middle is really an "oh, oh - what do I do with this junk I bought now." And, "what do I throw away to make it fit?"

Everything is in chalk. Right now we're debating on moving closer to an airport for holiday travel. The three airplane trips we have planned in the next ten days would call for 1200 miles (400 miles with double round trips each time) from our current location. We have no mid-way destinations in mind ... just rolling down the road. Of course, weather is an issue right now. Every place is experiencing unusual weather so it might be a slow go. As I said, chalk works best for us.