On the road for 3 months!

Post date: Jan 25, 2015 5:27:51 PM

Today is our 3 month anniversary of being homeless & traveling! 

We've traveled almost 7000 miles...Northern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. 

We've eaten green chili, sopapias, shrimp, gumbo, po' boys, fry bread, Brazilian-style meats, crab, beignets and did I mention shrimp.

We've seen Mother Nature's amazing beauty in red rock landscapes,  monumental rock formations, deep canyons, blue skies, meteor formed creator, bald eagles, pink spoonbills, white sandy beaches covered in shells, calm Gulf waters, remains of devastating hurricanes, shrimp boats, former Presidents' homes, Native American reservation poverty, favorite artist's home and home of the Blue Angles. We have seen original artwork from 20th Century artists to the petroglyphs in New Mexico.  We drove over a section of highway, where at the right speed, you hear the tune "America the Beautiful"

We've experienced snow, ice, humidity, rain, wind and beautiful 70 degree weather.

We've shied away from big cities, and drive on 2-lane highways through side road towns, vineyards, deltas, small port villages and "closed for the Season" beach towns.

We've stayed in Casitas, Condos, Casinos and Hotel rooms & suites. We've had to strip beds & re-wash the linens because of the fragrance, turn mattresses and slept on a couch to get a night's sleep.

We've discovered that no matter how much you love someone, being together 24/7 isn't always easy.  Communication, understanding and compromise is always the key to staying & being together-forever!

Will we continue - you bet.  Do we have second thoughts - no way!

It's a little scary being in so far from "home" (wherever that is), with nothing but our great car and our extensive collection of electronics to fall back on.  We are both very conscious that we have to be careful to monitor expenses, negotiate unfamiliar streets, get lots of exercise, be good to each other, on and on.  You can't measure the "value" of our adventure except to say that we are acquiring an ever-growing priceless kaleidoscope of places, history and people and that is enriching our lives.  How we spend time is key and complicated.  It turns out that one of our most stressful tasks is to plan our itinerary.  In each new location, we try to guess how much is "enough time."  So far, we've done pretty well; we planned out little more than we needed in Albuquerque and Kayenta, but spent just the right amount in the Hill Country of Texas and Santa Fe.  We've been on the Gulf Coast for almost 3 weeks now and have really enjoyed the more laid-back environment. Beginning April 1, we'll be in Washington D.C., but until then, we'll continue our leisurely pace through Florida, Georgia, North & South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia.  (It's still hard to believe that we're actually doing this!) Onward and upward!