It’s been a pipe dream for decades; it’s been many months in
the planning; it’s been weeks of anticipation (and rubbing it in to jealous
work colleagues) and now it’s only a few days away from the much hyped holiday-of-a-lifetime.
A holiday - no matter what type, duration, location or
timing - is often seen as an opportunity to rest, recharge the internal
battery, give you a renewed sense of perspective on life and open up new
experiences and opportunities. This
conjures up visions for me of oiled-up sun worshippers lazing on a sandy beach
or a pack of sheep-like tourists shuffling around some crumbling ruins in their
shorts and sandals (with socks) straining to hear the local guide. Well we’re not in for any of that matey, oh
no!!
I see this as more of an experience; an adventure than a
holiday. It’s a belated honeymoon; it’s
a gift to my petrol-head hubby; a celebration of life’s milestones; it’s the
realisation of a youthful dream. This is
H and I driving over 2,400 miles, coast to coast, following the old route 66
highways, stopping off at places along the way such as Tucumcari, Albuquerque,
Amarillo (yes I will sing the song on the way), finding the quirky ‘Americana’
and roads that disappear into the hazy distance. This trip is lots of things!
I have never been to the USA so this is a baptism of fire
for me. H is an old hand and familiar
with States-side travel so should be in his element. Originally it was to be a surprise for him
but when he worked it out I was thankful for his advice and support in the
planning. I think it’s going to be
somewhat tiring and we’ll have to manage our time effectively to visit the
off-route places we’re keen to see but I am looking forward to the journey and
spending time with H. Whilst I'm familiar with the US from film, TV, books and magazines, it’s really just
fiction for me and only a fragmented view that someone else wants me to
have. Therefore I still don’t really
know what to expect and what better way to experience the diversity of 8 states
than by driving through them from one side to the other.
Apparently your average American doesn't ‘get’ the romantic
fascination with old route 66 and the roads have been maintained, kept open or
re-opened by the campaigning of some old ‘die hard's’ and those businesses struggling
to maintain a living along the route.
Well we’re going to find out the real story soon enough.
Do you think preparing for a big long-haul trip is stressful?
Well how about adding a house move (make that a two-house
merger to be exact), a relocation, an occupational ‘retirement’, job hunting
and finding temporary accommodation to the stressor list! Oh blimey, and Christmas is just around the
corner. The annual stress test score is
going to be high this year methinks! Add
to this heap of stuff again with two marvellous examples of me setting
unrealistic personal goals for myself.
I’d wanted to blog for a long time and couldn't decide on
just one topic as seems to be the norm with these things. Not being one to conform I won’t limit myself
to one thing and so here is My Blog!
That’s one personal goal kicked off.
The second was to make H a special shirt for the trip – a
Hawaiian shirt with a twist! This would
be fine if I had made something similar before and recently. Oh no.
I gave myself a steep learning curve after having last used my sewing
machine 18 years ago… yup. So aside from
the question of will he want to wear it at all, the main one to ask now is…
Will it be ready in time?
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