36 Days and 6,469 Miles Later...

As expected, Teddy Tripper and I had mixed emotions when we arrived home on Tuesday. We loved being on the road looking for adventures, making new friends, and touring National Parks. Whoever said that the National Parks are this Country’s greatest treasure sure got that right. While we were on the road we felt like we could go on forever, but when our frantic pace slowed down, an incredible weariness set in. So, we have been resting up for tomorrow’s start of my fall promotion schedule for Cruising Connecticut. (Check my website for upcoming functions at www.cruisingconnecticut.com.)

While I continue doing what I love, which is talking to groups about all the great treasures in the State of Connecticut, I will also begin writing my new book about the thrill of visiting 10 National Parks in five weeks, how to travel solo and not be lonely, and introduce readers to some interesting places and people I met along the way.

I loved blogging during the trip, receiving comments and responding back. It was such fun! I will continue blogging on a semi-regular basis, just as I have been doing for the past year, keeping folks up to date on new day trips I discover, as well as upcoming functions at destinations in Cruising Connecticut. Oh, and of course, sharing picnic recipes.

Also, from time to time, I will let you know how my new book is coming along. Suggestions and/or questions will be welcome at any time, but especially now, while I am planning the format and preparing my outline. What would YOU like to know about the National Parks, or x-country travel in general, solo or otherwise? Shoot me a comment at the end of this post, or email me at: jan@cruisingconnecticut.com.

"There is no set path; just follow your heart"

I've had this quote on my desk, copied from a friend's refrigerator magnet, since last year, shortly after I started planning my x-country trip. It resonated with me. I wanted to travel the country like John Steinbeck in "Travels with Charley: In search of America", except that instead of bringing along a French standard poodle, I would bring Teddy Tripper, my Vermont teddy bear, a gift for my first solo RV trip in 2003, when I drove down the east coast of Florida and up the west. The great thing is that he arrived with all the appropriate accessories, such as backpack, cell phone, sunglasses, and sandals, and carried a sign, "Florida or bust."

Steinbeck had a "lifelong wanderlust", and so do I. At first I thought of taking my entire trip with "no set path" which I imagined Steinbeck had done. But, I soon realized that this is not 1960 and I am not Steinbeck. So, I did my thing with the guide books and the maps and yes, made reservations for all 35 nights.

In the end, it became clear that of course there is no set path, that is, until we create one. And the fact that I created mine in advance rather than as I went along, does not diminish the fact that during my weeks of research and planning, I did indeed follow my heart.

Here is the path my heart created:

National Parks: Rocky Mountain, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier Mountain, Redwood, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, and Mesa Verde, plus many national monuments and landmarks. In between, I will visit places like the Black Hills in South Dakota, the Coast of Oregon, Napa Valley in California, and the Monument Valley Navajo Reservation in Utah, as well as the west coast cities of Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. And, best of all, I have set aside time to get off the beaten path to visit friends of friends in small towns along the way.

Now, I just have to find some cowboy boots for Teddy Tripper!

My Solo Cross-Country Trip

The recent flipping of the calendar page from July to August is a mixture of "YIKES, only four weeks to go, how will I ever be ready for my cross-country trip", and "WOW, only four weeks to go before my next exciting adventure." And the emotion changes as quickly as I turn the pages of my guidebooks, which for two days this past weekend, totaled about 24 hours.

That's a whole lotta pages(!) but now I am much closer to reaching the goal I started this spring, planning my 36-day itinerary, including dates, destinations, and hours and miles from point A to point B. In addition, at least for the first week, I have a list of places under the headings "must visit" and "visit if I have the time" plus reservations for lodging, including a couple of hostels which will be a first for me.

I love the initial research, poring over maps and guidebooks for general information, searching the internet for the unusual and bizarre, and networking with friends and friends of friends for specifics and personal stories. I discovered that the process is pretty much the same, whether I am taking a 5-week cross-country tour to unfamiliar places, or a series of day trips in my home state of Connecticut.

Oh, sure, a small part of me envies the carefree traveler who can happily hop in the car and go where the spirit takes him, but my curious and cautious nature seems to demand that I do an extraordinary amount of advance planning so I know exactly what to expect. Interestingly though, once I begin my trip, I am remarkably flexible and carefree, changing course where necessary, or making the decision to veer off the path to look for my own serendipity.

During future blog postings, I will talk about traveling alone versus being lonely, keep you up to date on the method and progress of my research, which 10 national parks I will be visiting, and other considerable and trivial facts, such as whether or not I can find a convenient and practical way to pack my picnic basket!

What I hope my readers will do, especially those with more experience traveling cross-country (in case you are wondering what "more experience" means, I have none!) is to share tips with me and other readers about how to best prepare for and enjoy this kind of travel.

Follow my blog. Halfway down this page on the left, under Subscribe to Cruising Connecticut, click "Posts", or email me at jan@cruisingconnecticut.com. I'd love to hear from you.

More next week!