Tag: roadtrip

adventure

Time Away

2chicksandapen

Recently I took some time to myself.

A quick getaway.

A solo trip.

I took a plane. I rode a train. I drove a car. I maneuvered an electric scooter. I used a new camera to snap some scenery pictures. I visited some new areas. I scoped out restaurants. I stayed at 3 different places each with unique accommodations.

My adventure was full of new experiences and memories. I had moments to reflect. I had time to read. I slept well without life’s distractions. It was a peaceful break from the chaos and mundane tasks of everyday life.

My time away made me appreciate what I have now while allowing me to drift into the mindset of what’s next for me. What’s on the horizon. What changes can and/or should I make? Oh how I love the curiosity around each corner of life. My road below was to somewhere? Or was it nowhere? Was it planned? Could it have been an accidental detour? I saw the beauty of the open road that day. Just me and the wide open spaces. This is the perfect vision for me. A blank canvas on earth. Where to explore. What to do. So much adventure just beyond….

Growth always happens whenever you step outside your comfort zone. Home is a comfort zone for many. It is for me. Leaving home opens up your mind and broadens your horizon. Traveling to another country and immersing in the culture is a form of growth. Traveling solo and navigating new areas is growth. Trying a new activity like photography is growth. 

Stepping out for coffee can also foster creativity and growth. Observing others. Maybe interacting with new faces. Meeting a friend to catch up on life while enjoying the warmth of a cup of joe. Visiting a coffee shop in a new area may peak your interest too. Stepping out of your normal. Getting off the hamster wheel of life to try something new: it’s so important!

With each opportunity to grow in front of you, the depth of your growth coincides with your ability to take a chance and embrace what is hidden around the corner. The so called surprises in life. If you are able to dive deep into these growth stages I do believe you will

See rewards for your efforts. If you sit and watch or wait for the perfect time life may just pass you by.

Fortune favors the bold.

Have you been bold lately?

If you wanted to make a bold action today, what would it be?

I live boldly.

I take chances.

I risk the immediate gain for the long term rewards. Life is what you make of it.

Go make your life great!

adventure

Year End Chaos

2chicksandapen

12 days left in the year. I was thinking of traveling, but didn’t have a firm plan. Then I was thinking of binge watching Netflix rolling into 2024. This was the cozy option. Maybe house projects were best suited for my holiday time… the first two options had me smiling at “what ifs.” The latter was a done deal. The house deep cleaning was scheduled. 7 hours of hard work. The yard project ended up being more than expected. Painting was just painting. Out with trash of the year too. All was getting done.

Then a hiccup of sorts. A quick trip you say? I did want to travel. Oh how the mind of a curious girl works. Let’s go. Not just any travel, rather a whimsical road trip adventure. Buckle up! Where to? 

One brave soul opted to be my travel buddy. One bold and ready to adventure. I did have some no ways too, but I just needed one yes. Eight states to pass through along the way. Approximately 1,500 miles. Maybe 20-24 hours in the car, one way. Yes please! I’m in. Let’s go for it. How much fun will this trip be? Ending 2023 with a bang and starting 2024 with a pop.

Fueled up in the home state of Georgia. BBQ in Nashville, TN. Edley’s might have been the best burnt ends and spicy grits casserole I have ever had. Full belly rolled on into Kentucky as the sun set for rain, rain and more rain. At the end of the night was a cool stop in Metropolis, Illinois. We just had to catch this iconic stop to see what the hype was about.

Early rise to go see the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle. I don’t even like catsup but was fascinated by the idea of making this stop. It was a bottle. It was a landmark. Photo below. 

A quick drive over the river landed us in the heart of St. Louis. Another iconic stop at the Gateway Arch. Cool, crisp air set the tone for a memorable morning at the river front. This seemed like the perfect gateway to the beginning of a midwestern adventure .

Did I mention it was morning? 10am to be exact. St. Louis pizza, you say? Why of course! Next bucket list item is the local delicacy of cracker crust pizza with provel cheese. I wish you could hear the crunch in this post. It wasn’t like a chip but a cracker crunch. A snap. An ooze of gooey cheese. Not too saucy. Not too greasy. A treat to eat. Not too messy for the car. We ate it all. This treat came from Imo’s in downtown, which already had piles of orders at the breakfast hour. 

With a full belly in tow, we headed west again and the next stop had educational value. A quick visit to the Weldon Site. An encapsulated waste site where you could climb to the top of the mound of debris. Fascinating. A little eerie. A questionable stop to some. I loved every minute of it. My little walk on the moon. Stairs to nowhere. Once three towns were swallowed by this mound, then beautified to today’s present state. Google it for a history lesson. 

Headed west again. Destination Kansas. The land of lonely roads and windmills. The darkness of night illuminated by red flashing lights. The beacon of not one two or three but hundreds of windmills along the road. Wide open skies and open land for miles and miles. That’s Kansas. Miles and miles of open spaces, a Wheat Jesus and a giant Van Gogh replica. Just a day in Kansas!

Onward we traveled to the west. Destination Colorado. The day of arrival was unusually warm. 50 degrees in late December after a blizzard just last week. Good timing I suppose. Beautiful blue skies. Amazing mountain backdrops glistening in the distance. A wonderful end to a couple of days trekking across country.

I hope this post inspires you to travel. Take a road trip. Find the hidden gem spots to stop at along the way. Take the slow and scenic route vs. rushing to your destination. Breathe the air. Smell the flowers. Taste the local food. Embrace the journey / experience.

Uncategorized

Wavelength

2chicksandapen

“Let’s play wavelength.”

A two-hour road trip with two of my favorite teens. Passing the time with music and games and giggles. I had no idea what this game was but I was all in from my perch in the back seat.

“You pick a number from 1-10 and then the person tries to figure it out. They can ask for 5 descriptions then they have to guess.”

There were three of us. The odd girl out played the role of the confirmation person, making sure that the numbers didn’t lie. Meaning, the two non-guessers had to actually share the number in advance to be sure it was all on the up and up.

The first example was pretty easy. She flashed her fingers behind the head rest.

Then the guesser started firing questions:

-office supply

-trip itinerary

-fast food order

-ski resort

-school subject

For school subject, one description was “PE class, but first period of the day.” The guesser said aloud…”PE is awesome, but first period means you’re sweaty all day so that takes it down a bit. That’s about a 6.”

For trip itinerary, I said “a road trip to the beach on a 3-day weekend.” The guesser then reasoned aloud again: ”I love the beach, but a road trip means it’s a closeby beach I’ve probably been to before and a 3-day weekend means I won’t be there long. That’s a 5.” 

After 5 clues, the guesser chooses the number.

These two teens and I have known each other for more than a handful of years. Still, I was surprised how often they guessed each other’s numbers. Even with time passing and a couple of years in age and experience separating them, they are still on each other’s wavelength. 

Me in the mix was a little different. For example, when I asked for “school supply” one of the girls said a mechanical pencil with a certain type of lead. I immediately guessed 2 since I hate mechanical pencils. Then the clue giver changed her clue to a colorful flair pen, which moved my guess up to an 8, which was much closer to the target number. It really is about knowing each other and being on a similar wavelength. 

As we enter this time of family, road trips, and togetherness, it might be fun to see who is on your wavelength.

–

featured, TBH Doodle Gang, travel

RV Life 2023 Edition

2chicksandapen

April came and went. Missed the first road trip to Nashville, TN while the RV got some sprucing up. Took extra time thanks to back ordered parts. I will get a redo on Nashville though, just later in the year.

Here we are Memorial Day weekend 2023 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. A new state to call home for a few days. This trip we are parked at a motor coach resort. That means no pull behinds, no tents, and a different setup than we have seen in the past. This facility has many permanent residents and many who rent out condo style. They sell lots for astronomical prices, but the place is a little slice of paradise. Lots of privacy and beauty just around the corner from the hustle bustle of beach goers.

Tucked in behind the gates and tree cover are beautifully paved lots with varying amenities. Some have full outdoor kitchens. Others have fire pits and cushy outdoor furniture. Landscaping is on par for sure. Pretty blooms, palm trees and moss covered trees kept you dry when the light rain came in from the ocean. It also provided tons of shade during the heat of the day. The campus also had plenty of walking areas, a dog park, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, pool, gym and other common entertainment areas. No detail was missed here.

Although there were many people in town there were many empty spaces or RVs shutdown for a season or reason unknown to me. The peacefulness was nice and a welcome destination for busy old me. I walked for miles and miles this trip. Kids were around but it definitely seemed like more older families traveling vs young families with kids in tow. Dog park was empty every day I took my doodle gang, but I did see many dogs out for leash walks daily.

Each lot was slightly different in design. From the decorative pavers to the shrubbery. Some sites even had the South Carolina symbol in the pavement. That’s some extra flair for sure. Each unique site had privacy which was nice. There was a lake with a notice about alligators and my space was by the creek. I watched daily but didn’t have any alligator encounters. Thank goodness. 

I did have a visit about 3am one night by some angered animal. Not sure if it was bobcat or what but it scared the doo doo out of me for sure. I will never know what it was as the cameras didn’t pick up an image but it did move a chair so whatever it was it was big. It also made the loudest shrieks. Not sure if it mauled the cat next door but nobody said anything if it did.

Biggest takeaway on this trip is the amount of motor coaches in one place. I felt like I was at an RV show. There were older units, but not too old. 24 foot to 40 foot. $100,000.00 to 1 million dollar plus custom RVs. Such a variance in price range but still fun to look at on each walk I took. Made my mind wander on who affords these gems. Who lives there full time. Who works out of their RV.

While on this trip, I was focusing on clean eating. Not too hard to do since you have pretty much a condensed home kitchen in an RV. A little planning and preparation and clean eating is doable. Below is a screenshot of one day’s healthy eats. It was fun to plan and prepare and document this trip and clean eating. A new road challenge to conquer. I’ll put this challenge to these again when im staying in a hotel vs RV.

10 minutes to the many beaches and shops, but most of my time I spent relaxing, walking and just exploring the off beaten tracks. No must dos on this trip. Rather it was just do what feels good in the moment. There might have even been a few naps taken with the fresh air flowing through the RV. Lots of reading. Some writing. Plenty of dog time.

I did visit a local park to take a walk through a nature area. I saw the sign don’t feed the alligators but I had no idea how many I would actually see in the water. How many were sunbathing next to the walking trails and then the guy fishing in his kayak not at all bothered. I mean I’m sure I would have fallen in just thinking about who was gonna eat me.

Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee are the next states on the RV destination list. Two new destinations and one repeat. More exploration entries will come in the months ahead as the journeys continue. Off to live my best off-the-grid life, one state at a time. See you later alligators.

3Splitz Farm, author moments

Moments of Vacation

2chicksandapen

We’ve talked about life being lifey lately. In addition it’s just been a busy, hectic time. Sports leagues, long days at work, volunteer commitments, owning businesses and all that goes with it…it’s just kinda out of control these days.

My county had a true fall break this year for the first time. A glorious five-day weekend in the middle of my favorite time of year, the fall. When I saw this coming on the calendar, I imagined a quick trip to the coast for some salt and sand therapy. Or maybe a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the leaves change. A long hike in the great outdoors or laughs at Dollywood. I dreamed of a getaway.

Life being what it is, enough little commitments popped up that a getaway wasn’t in the cards this year. Just too much going on and the lure of catching up mixed in with a few poorly-timed “have tos” would keep me at home.

As I scrolled through the posts of colleagues and local friends who had hightailed it out of town to Disney or even Napa Valley, I had to reframe my mindset. Instead of being stuck at home pouting, how could I find those moments of vacation in my days?

Coffee Break: I love my coffee in the morning, but it’s generally on a timer. I have my two cups then I’m out the door. I decided to reframe my mind to think of an extra cup of coffee at a leisurely pace as a morning getaway. Even just a slower pace can be a helpful break.

Day trip: I went to a town I had never been to for a few hours to hang out / support / cheer on friends. I ate at a local bagel shop. I saw some new places and things to wonder about. It was less than two hours from home, but just taking that little trip made me feel refreshed from my day-to-day.

Appreciate nature: I had some things to take care of at the farm this weekend. Although I had work to do, I tried to remind myself to stop and appreciate the beauty of the dahlias and fresh fall air. I ate lunch outside on the porch. I took a few extra moments to breathe it all in and notice it.

Maybe noticing is the secret to finding those moments of vacation in daily life. Slower coffee, looking around a new place, taking a moment to observe and appreciate the nature that I often speed by on my way from task to task.

I do still feel that pull to take a trip, but for now these little vacation moments will tide me over. They are always there if I take the time to slow down for a minute and notice them. Yet another instance of how we can choose daily.