I’m Not Quite Ready

We all had to detour off the road of life a year ago, but it looks like the onramp to the main highway is up ahead. 

Vaccinations are being given. Mask restrictions are being loosened. Countries are re-opening their borders and looking to welcome visitors. Yet there is an almost palpable tension that lingers in the air. 

Friends who have been clamoring to travel are still delaying their decisions to book big trips, opting for familiar destinations or road trips. Admittedly, Greg and I are in that group.

We have always loved a good road trip, but our excursion last summer to Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles wine countries reminded us how disappointing quaint little towns are when shops are still shuttered and mandatory reservations leave you searching for a last-minute dinner option. We remain concerned that even though we can hop onto a plane and fly to some bucket-list location, the conditions at our destination will leave us wanting more.

I’m simply champing at the bit to walk down the jetway onto a jumbo jet, settle into my seat and snooze across an ocean for an international adventure, but I am leery about countries having to shut down suddenly due to a surge in this virus. I’m not keen on sitting on a plane for six (or more) hours breathing into a mask. I’m anxious to get out there and experience other cultures, but if people are still hunkering down in their homes, how much culture will I really get to enjoy? 

So, it’s back in the front seat of our little roadster and off to explore the road of life for a little while longer. 

And yet, we’re moving forward. We’ve planned and reserved accommodations for a couple of road trips this year. One this summer will include our now ten-year-old granddaughter, Lizzie. She chose a wild west adventure with us for her birthday gift. 

The second trip will take us to the Reno Air Races before we head out for a two-week, more than two-thousand-mile loop through California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and finally back home to Arizona. 

There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. I am going crazy with the desire to get back out there and start exploring again, but there are plenty of options in the meantime!