Out on the dirty edge

Adventure beckons us from a winter sleep....and we heed the call. Let the wandering begin. Where to? We shall head west.......a vague destination. But where we're going has spaces so broad, that vague IS a destination. We love seeing new and different things, places, foods, people, cultures, and parts unknown. While sights like the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben were fantastic to see, we seem to find great joy in exploring places that aren't so popular and are a bit off the beaten path. We're drawn to the different.

We like the edges of the world, the pointy and sharp parts. The Alps, Scotland, Iceland....these places hold fond memories. They held these memories not because of something we went to see, but what we discovered along the way. We like places that aren't crowded with tourists, where we can get a picture of what life is like in the place we are visiting. We like being a temporary part of where we are, instead of merely voyeurs. Lunch with the locals on the side of a rural road in Scotland will stick with me years longer than that umpteenth church tour in some big city.

This trip will be no different. We plan on seeking different places out on the edges. We plan on going where most people don't get a chance to see or don't choose to experience. We're going to eat different foods, hang out with the locals, and view fantastic vistas. And we'll see some of the regular sights too.

Our mode of travel will be different this time as well as the continent we travel. We're taking our first cross country trip in our motor home! Our plan is to use the motor home as a base and use my pickup to travel the area around us. It makes us smaller and more agile, to venture about and explore.

We're excited as this trip will allow us a great deal of freedom. We can leave a place or stay longer simply because we want to. We don't have a set schedule. We don't need to be in a certain place at a certain time to catch a flight. We won't need hotel reservations. We won't need to plan ahead as intently as we did on our Europe trips.

There are trade offs...not better or worse, but different. On this trip, fuel is our big expense....not air fare. It will be nice to travel in our own digs, with our own music. Check out our song of the day every day! You might find something you like! We'll certainly have the time to listen.

We'll begin our wandering on the evening of Feb. 9. We head west, with our first stop in Big Bend country along the Rio Grande at the Texas/Mexico border. We'll move westward from there, clinging to the edges of our country, through southern New Mexico, and southwest Arizona. We may punch across the border to visit...but that will be a call made on the ground, at that time. And then, we'll head to northern Arizona and pick up Old Route 66 and take it east, essentially making a big loop.

If you're getting this email, a link to our travel blog, or on Facebook....we're rolling. If you're along the way....let us know. Maybe we'll get together for lunch! Travel with us via our blog.....or meet us in person. Come see more of this world with us! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the day: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Song of the day: Wake me up- Avicii

Our chariot