it’s been with me since childhood, this unstoppable urge to explore. we had a huge (or so it seemed!) open space behind our house and, afternoons and evenings, that’s where i’d be. looking at rocks, trees, bushes and bugs, and always hoping to find that special “secret hideout”. sometimes i’d explore with a friend, but i’d often head out alone.
the same exploratory instinct seems to have followed me into adulthood. here’s how a typical trip goes:
we pull out the atlas and start looking for interesting-looking places that we haven’t yet seen – the more “undiscovered”, the better. typically they are national and state forests and parks. we do a little research and if we like what we find, we gather some resources. i’ll go to amazon and check out hiking and camping books and maps for the area. then we’ll pack up the motorhome with everything we can think of and take off. that’s it – no reservations, no agenda, no schedule. we allow a specified chunk of time, but we both know when we’re done it’s time to come home.
we especially like the national forest campgrounds – rustic and inexpensive, you can often have the most amazing view at your doorstep, as well as access to fabulous trails. we hike, read, write (me) and bask in the glory of it all.
we rarely have cell phone service, but it’s easy to get used to. we move a lot, rarely spending more than two nights in a site. we enjoy visiting small towns, especially historic ones, but don’t often spend the night there.
our routines and chores are pretty well established at this point (we’ve been at it over 20 years, once for a whole year), not much to think about there.
so that’s what works for us. not luxurious, not everyone’s cup of tea to be sure, but oh. the places i’ve seen….. all of them etched in my memory and many of them in my photos.
(all photos taken in Idaho, 7/2010, oh, except the backyard one!)
P.S. just realized i have now surpassed 100 posts - totally can't believe this!!
