First, here are
a few facts and figures. We were on the road for 72 days. We drove 9047 miles
and used approximately 423 gallons of gasoline (@ avg. of 21.4 mpg). We visited
24 states. We replaced one car battery and one iPad.
Back in
April, we jumped in the car and headed eastward. We had some general ideas of
where we wanted to go and who we wanted to see. The specifics, however, would
have to sort themselves out as each new day came. It was a definite departure
from our usual way of operating: Karen and I each normally feel more
comfortable having a little more certainty to our daily schedules. Along the
way, we learned some new things and we confirmed some old things. Following are
three things that come to mind for me:
You Don’t
Need as Much as You Think You Do
We knew we’d
have limited space for clothing and other items so we packed accordingly. We
came back with a lot of clothing unpacked and unused. Today’s electronic
gadgets are small enough and powerful enough that we were able to stay connected
just about everywhere we travelled. And, when we were ‘off the grid’ it was a
nice break from the outside world. Our little Aliner kitchen had all the basics
and Karen made some great meals for us on the road. When I got back to the
house and looked at all the ‘stuff’ I have laying around, I realized I didn’t
really miss most of it at all.
Move On and
Get Over It
We shared
each other’s company 24/7 for 72 days, most of it either in or around our 12’
trailer, or in the car. We were always on the move, rarely staying somewhere
for more than a few days at a time and often staying only one night in some places.
The act of breaking camp and moving to our next destination was an opportunity
to leave yesterday behind and start a new day. Living together in such close
proximity can really increase the odds of rubbing each other the wrong way.
There’s no way to avoid this, so you just have to figure out how to deal with
it. I think we got better at moving forward and starting off fresh each day.
Figuratively, ‘breaking camp and moving on’ is good therapy.
If You
Make a Wrong Turn Once in Awhile, You Can Still Get Back on the Right Track…If
You Listen to Your Navigator
This trip
confirmed that my sense of direction is not what you’d call acute. Karen did a
fantastic job of finding our campsites and guiding us from place to place using both her GPS, and the many maps and guidebooks
we brought along. We managed to stay off the interstates for most of our trip,
using secondary and tertiary roads instead. This allowed us to see much more of
the country than we otherwise would have had we taken the straight line. There
were a few times when we were in areas that were a little dicey, but we mostly
enriched our experience by going on these routes. Much to Karen’s
consternation, I often would turn left when she said turn right, or right
instead of left, etc. Sometimes, neither of us got it right. I think this
reinforced for me that, just like on this trip, life is not always as linear as we’d
like it to be. We may not know exactly where we’re going, but if you work
together you can usually get to where you need to be. I’m glad I have Karen to
help me navigate – she’s good at reminding me when we get off track.
Thanks again
to our great friends and family who hosted us along the way, and thanks to all
of our friends and family who took the time to read about our trip!
