We are leaving Rochester on October 13. Part of our preparation for leaving is getting in last minute visits with people we haven’t seen on this trip and taking in some culture as well. We saw Vietgone at  Geva Theater on Saturday. To say more would require an entire blog post. We found it difficult but well done and an excellent production. Our friends left at intermission. We are going to another Rochester Philharmonic concert and taking our grandson Josh. Dinner before with the Humms and Josh. Numerous other luncheons and dinners as well.

We actually have the first month of travel planned. Since we are meeting people as we go and have appointments for work in Red Bay, we were forced to back into a schedule. I even have made reservations for every one of those nights. We are staying in everything from commercial parks to state parks to Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Host sites. Our ultimate departure from Red Bay will be driven by the completion of work we are having done. My only problem is building a route west from Red Bay that we haven’t taken yet, that avoids the Natchez Trace Parkway – just because we have done it so often – and gets us to Las Cruces and Albuquerque NM. I also want to avoid the New Orleans area and stop in Livingston TX too. Oh yes Dora, a name from the past, has moved to the Dallas area and we need to go there to make a stop as well. 

I have been reading some of my posts from the past just to refresh my memory of routes, places and failures. Looking back I realize that our previous coaches had more show stopping failures than GeeWhiz. Our first coach, Goliath, had to be towed twice in 3 years. The Southwind, G2, never did have to be towed, but it had its share of failed parts as we traveled. We actually almost ripped the receiver off the frame in Alaska. Today all of those stories are great fun to tell as we sit around and share experiences with other RVers. If you want to see the old blogs you can read them here by looking at the archives in the left column. To see the ones before October 2017 with the pictures use xctraveler.blogspot.com Even earlier writings can be found in the menus at the top of this page. 

I am looking forward to getting back on the road. I hope we can keep our commitment to ourselves to enjoy the travel and find new and interesting places to explore. We sat recently with friends who are contemplating an 8 week cross country car trip and came to us to discuss logistics and routes. As we discussed routes and ideas for travel I kept coming back to the idea of themes, some would call them bucket lists. Highways to drive, state capitals to visit, parks to see etc. I thought about one cross country drive and how much one could see and how much more would be missed. Travel in January and February really leaves out much of the country north of I 40 – some would say I 20. We talk about the 3,000 miles from coast to coast but we tend to ignore the 1,500 miles from Laredo TX to Duluth MN. How many places must one cross the Mississippi to say you have really seen it. We have driven much of the river’s length, but that leaves out the vast plains and mountains to the west and the stretch across the mountains to the east and on to the coast. In looking at my routes and maps I realize that in over 20 crossings we still have barely scratched the surface of this great country.