Soooo, where to begin. A little over two years ago, I was asked what I would love to do that was fun, outside the box, basically a "bucket list" type of activity. Without hesitating, the words that popped out of my mouth were: "I'd love to take a road trip from Arizona to North Carolina to visit family, and stop at Route 66 and other small towns along the way to explore and take photos." I think the answer surprised me as much as the person asking the question. I was working full time in a very busy position, COVID was still a reality, and I had no idea how I could even start to pull it off.
The idea began to percolate.... about 6 months later, a "road trip wall" was created in my office/extra bedroom.
The smaller map is of the four states area highlighted with locations for realistic road trips I could take, and the photo was taken a year earlier on a short road trip. The route highlighted on the US map was included as a "some day" thing.
Fast forward two years. A lot of change happened in the last two years, and, one by one, every reason/excuse/rationalization for not being able to make the trip went away. In January of this year, I was asked again - what was something fun I would like to do this year, and, what date on my calendar was I going to write it down to do it. Opened my planner to a random page: April 26th. Still not knowing how it would happen, I wrote "NC Road Trip" on my calendar. Well, guess what? All the plans were in place by April 26th, and I pulled out of my driveway on May 18th.
Of course, the proper music was necessary to begin the trip....
... as well as the first stop needing to be one of my favorite Route 66 towns.
Spent eight days on the road exploring on the way to North Carolina, nine days on the road exploring different places coming home, and the time in the middle was spent enjoying family time with my son and his family and my brother and his wife.
Being on the road that much, all traffic and road conditions were experienced:
- open road in the middle of nowhere,
- stuck in miles-long traffic jams,
- and having a train stop and block the the way you entered a questionable area while trying to leave a fabulous park you found, then having to find the parking lot security guard at the food processing plant you were near to explain the only way to get around the train
Weather was also an interesting factor impacting where I stopped and how much exploring could be done. The storm that blew in while walking around Gallup, NM, was a definite benefit, as it led to finding a great little coffee shop to sit out the downpour. While exploring the exterior of the old theater next door, I was invited in, and ended up getting a private tour showing its restoration, and learned about the continued community involvement of the 98-year-old theater.
The focus of this trip was small towns. Had a general idea of where I wanted to stop, and how many miles I needed to travel each day. Free to stop where I wanted and stay however long I wanted, and just adjust the travel time each day to accommodate.
Based on a little internet research each night, combined with recommendations of the locals I chatted with, it was a fascinating trip of discovery. When in a small town, I highly recommend stopping by the chamber of commerce or visitor's center to get ideas. They were extremely helpful when I shared what I was doing.
While at first you see similarities in the small towns, as you wander through, you discover the unique qualities and characteristics.
Finding nature to experience and connect with along the way was also a goal. Sometimes it was in a place far off of the beaten path, and sometimes it was found right in the middle of a city or community.
Weather became more interesting on the way home. Not sure I'd want to drive across Tenessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma during extreme weather season again. I'm familiar with Arizona monsoons, however storms that come with tornado warnings, not so much. Had to drive through a couple of them, didn't enjoy, and don't recommend....
Two views of approaching storms as seen from places I was staying at the time... very thankful I was inside. Not a lot of discovering or photography was done on these days.
All in all it was a fabulous, life changing trip. Lots of stories to tell in upcoming posts.
My final night on the road, the weather gave me these gifts:
Life is short. Put it on your calendar. Enjoy the journey.
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