Retirement Diaries 2023: Spring Planning

Happy Spring!  Well, at least happy spring in other parts of the country.

In Minnesota, the first day of spring arrived with sunny, blue skies and a high of 34 degrees.  The second day of spring brought snow.  I guess you don’t get everything you wish for.  I’m ready for the snow to be gone.  This is the fourth snowiest winter on record, so I think that is good news, because it means not every winter will be like this?  Of course, that means every winter will probably be colder.

Home has been busy with cleaning and organizing, visitors, and reading.  I just finished reading Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose, about the Lewis and Clark expedition from 1804 to 1806.  It has been a fascinating read, but like many history books, it isn’t one that goes quickly.

I have also been back to doing some puzzles after taking a bit of a break.  I have already done 10 puzzles in 2023, which is only two fewer than I did during all of 2022.  I will certainly beat my puzzle goal!

I need to be in Washington for an appointment at the end of April, so I’ve been planning to drive this time and make it into a road trip.  I’m thinking I want to drive back on the original US Route 20, the longest road in the United States at 3,365 miles and one of only a few that go the entire width of the U.S.  I wouldn’t drive the whole coast to coast route in one trip, but it would be fun to do a section of it! 

Of course, I was looking at my road atlas last night, and there are quite a few things of interest that are off of Highway 20, so I might have to veer off on parts of it!  It goes through some parts of the country where I have never been before!  I’m starting my list of places I want to go.  Any thoughts or ideas on the plan?  Have any of you driven coast to coast on U.S. Highway 20, or done part of it?

2023 Retirement Diaries: Car Camping

Last week we went to Camping World for their RV show.  It was an impromptu stop on our way to run errands, and no, if I were to purchase anything, it wouldn’t be from Camping World. 

We wandered the showroom and peeked in multiple travel trailers, a few motorhomes, and a couple of pop-ups.  They didn’t have anything I’d be interested in.  It was all too big, too fancy, and too many slides.  Since when did people expect camping to be like sitting in their house?  Who needs a gas fireplace in their camper?  Who needs a kitchen island in their camper? 

in 2018, on my trip, I was often the only person in a campground camping out of my car, or sleeping in a tent.  RV parks were even worse, as I could wander the whole of the park and never even see anyone outside!  They were all sitting inside their campers, watching TV (or maybe staring at their gas fireplaces).  It made me wonder if people no longer camp for the experience of sitting outside in front of the fire, watching the stars, and slathering on the bug spray.  Where was the community experience?  What happened to meeting the people at the campsite next door?

At some point, I do want to buy a travel trailer or small motorhome.  Something I can tow or drive on my own, so I can still solo travel, but allows me to take my mom when we want to go somewhere together.  I’m talking small, as in a teardrop or Scamp, or the smallest of motorhomes.  Camping World didn’t have anything like that.  In the meantime, I guess I have become that person who lives in her car while road-tripping. 

It’s strange.  When I did my road trip in 2018, my car conversion was a means to an end.  I didn’t have the time or the finances to buy a trailer or a new truck before my trip, which happened rather unexpectedly and left me with only two months to prepare.  But on that trip, I learned about the conveniences of camping with only my car.  Sure, I didn’t have a bathroom, but I didn’t have to worry about parking, or whether or not I’d be able to visit somewhere along the way.  I didn’t have to worry about leveling, or hooking up the water/sewer/electric, and I loved that I didn’t have to deal with dumping the tanks.  I was self contained.  My car bed is comfortable.

I could take off in a few minutes.  I could drive as far as I wanted, and stop whenever I wanted.  And that was priceless. 

When I set off again in spring, it will once again be with my car, and my totes slid neatly under the built out bed.  My tent, sleeping bag, clothes, food, cooking pans, books, cameras and everything else tucked into their places.  My camp stove will be in its usual spot, and the cooler tucked into the foot well of the passenger seat. 

I can’t wait.

 

Circus Trip 2018: Marshall, Michigan

Days 70, Sunday, September 23, 2018
Marshall, Michigan

Sunday morning my parents and I had breakfast with my Aunt Elaine, Uncle Richard and cousin Stephanie, and then we were off to the other side of the state to visit my mom’s side of the family.  Mom’s family is much smaller, but I have an aunt, uncle and cousin (and a few other relatives outside of Michigan) who live in Galesburg, Michigan, a small town outside of Kalamazoo. 

We headed over to the other side of the state, but driving separately since my parents had their own rental car.  I stopped in Marshall, Michigan and did a little wandering and shopping.  Marshall is a cute little town with a historic downtown area with shops and antique stores (which unfortunately are mostly closed on Sundays), and several nicely painted murals on the buildings.  

And then my cousin Megan met me at Dark Horse Brewing Company.  If you feel like you have heard of it, you probably have.  They had a reality show there several years ago, but I’ve never actually seen the show.  Megan and I got a beer and a pretzel with beer cheese, and I got a t-shirt!

That evening was pretty quiet, just enjoying a dinner of pork tenderloin tacos with the family, and catching up.

Not every day on the road can be thrilling I guess!

 

Circus Trip 2018: East-side Michigan

Days 66 – 69, Wednesday – Saturday, September 19 – 22, 2018
Michigan

I had reached Michigan for a stay with my family. At this point, I had been on the road for more than two months. I had driven from Washington State to Maine, down to Washington, D.C., and back to Michigan. Most of the those over 60 nights on the road were spent in campgrounds, with three in hotels and seven spent with friends and family.

So how was I feeling? Pretty good! I was really enjoying being out on the road! I could set my own pace, I could go where I wanted and stay as long as I wanted.  The problem I was running into was that I wanted to stay longer at each place, and worried that I wouldn’t make it all the way around the country before I ended up having to head home.  I could relax and decompress when I needed to after a very rough couple of years.  I suppose that is a good problem to have, and looking back on this time, I recognize what an amazing experience this was, and how it helped me heal.  After another rough couple of years, I’m ready for this again.

I found myself finding so many things to do in each local area I visited.  In addition to googling things, I asked people what was around, stumbled upon activities, followed informational road signs, and headed down back roads to see what I could find.  GPS is truly a Godsend.

I arrived in Michigan a few days ahead of my cousin’s wedding, and had some time to hang out with my parents who flew in, my aunts and uncles and cousins.  It was great to have the family time.  And sadly it was the last time I really had a vacation with my Dad, but of course I didn’t know that at the time… 

Wednesday I slept in and had a lazy day, and caught up with my parents, since I hadn’t seen them for two months!  That evening I went out for dessert with my cousins and the bride’s friends; cheesecake and Sauvignon Blanc.

We decorated the hall for the wedding on Thursday, making flower arrangements with twinkle lights inside, and hanging photos.  It was fun to help.  On the way home, my mom and I visited the Bay County Historical Society Museum.  I’ll post about that separately!  

 

My mom and I went to the Christmas store in Frankenmuth on Friday.  It’s called Bronner’s and if you have never been there, you are in for a surprise.  It is a gigantic store, filled with every imaginable Christmas item.  Ornaments galore, garlands, nativities, trees, and more.  They will also personalize ornaments with names or phrases for free!  I always love visiting there when I am in Michigan.  I also went to the Black Star Farms tasting room and did a tasting and got a few bottles of bubbles and a Riesling for mom.  I had their wines several years before when I was in Michigan and I was so excited to have them again! 

Friday night was the wedding.  It was beautiful and sweet, and I loved watching my uncle walk my cousin down the aisle; his first granddaughter to get married…  It was fun to catch up with lots of my family members who came in for the wedding.

Saturday at lunch we all met up at Krzyziak’s Polish Buffet.  There were 19 of us and that is just my Dad’s side!  Yea, I have a big family when we all get together.  The Pacific Northwest doesn’t really have many Polish restaurants (or perhaps none), so I always enjoy getting back to my roots on my Michigan trips!  I also loved seeing my Dad so happy, surrounded by his sisters and all my cousins.  Family meant so much to him and he lit up when we visited.  I miss that.

 

 

Looking back those days meant a lot to me.  There weren’t really visits to places to blog about, but spending time with my family that I don’t get to see often enough (and then COVID) was truly precious. 

Me and Dad – September 2018

The next day I was off with my parents to spend a few days with my mom’s side of the family too!

 

 

COVID Diaries: Day 707

I got home late Monday night from two weeks on vacation in Minnesota.  It was a much needed respite, and yet so very cold!

Getting home on Monday wasn’t easy though.  There was a winter storm warning in Minnesota that was due to bring 14 inches of snow.  Thankfully the snow came later and it wasn’t bad getting to the airport.  My first flight was great!  My second flight was canceled due to high winds.  I ended up taking the shuttle bus home, but my bags didn’t come with me.  I got one bag back last night and my second got home today.  And all the Minnesota cider I had nestled into it survived!   

Unfortunately, I got home to a cold snap so encountered temps of 25 degrees and black ice on my commute, making for a treacherous drive on Tuesday.  But the sun is out!  And it warmed up to 44 this afternoon, making it much warmer than Minnesota now.

It was so nice to have a getaway, but it just reminded me how much I want to go on a long road trip again!  But probably not in the dead of winter.  Well, maybe in the dead of winter in the south.  At any rate, a road trip is on my mind.  Hopefully soon.

My vacation was spent doing many cold weather activities.  Hiking, snow shoeing, visiting an ice castle and an ice maze, ice fishing, frozen waterfalls and other fun winter activities!  I had a great time, but didn’t always stay warm!  In the evenings, I got to work on a puzzle, watch movies, play games or just read. 

In other news, my state’s Governor finally announced that he would lift our mask mandate no later than March 21, long after most other states.  So that may mean that the COVID Diaries may finally come to an end, and it will be time to have a new “thoughts on life” series.  One can only hope.  Stay tuned! 

Circus Trip 2018: Gadby’s Tavern, Alexandria, VA

Day 59, Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Gadby’s Tavern, Alexandria, Virginia

After I left the Boston area, I had plans to visit a friend of mine who lives in Alexandria, Virginia.  I was going to spend a few days there, and use that as my jumping off point for visiting Washington, D.C.  I had left Quincy, Massachusetts, and embarked on a long drive through multiple states to get to Alexandria.  I split it over two days, as it is a total of about eight hours driving, through a lot of traffic.  Heading from Massachusetts to Alexandria meant I had to skip some great locations, but you can’t possibly see everything on a trip, I suppose.  It was tough to drive through so many great places and just pass them by!  Connecticut, New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, and more!  I so very much want to go back and see all these places!

All that said, I rolled into Alexandria about 4 in the afternoon, and headed to Jason’s house.  He had planned a surprise for my visit! He knows how much I love history, so he made reservations at Gadsby’s Tavern!

Gadsby’s Tavern was originally built in 1785 by Marylander John Wise, and opened the building next door as the Federal City Tavern in 1792.  There was another tavern on the site before the current building though, which reportedly was in business from around 1770.  An Englishman named Gadsby leased the tavern in 1796; the current name is a nod to him. 

Back in the late 1700s, several notable guests frequented the tavern, including Founding Fathers and Presidents!  George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and the Marquis de Lafayette were all known visitors to the taverns here.  A banquet was even held in Washington’s honor here in 1801; how cool to be in the same place where these men talked politics. 

Gadsby operated the tavern until 1815, and then passed through various hands and it was various businesses, until it fell into disrepair and abandonment.  In 1917, in this sad state, some of the ballroom woodwork was sold to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, where it apparently remains today.  However, this was the catalyst for the historic preservation.  Gadsby’s Tavern was restored to the period of the late 1700s, and reopened as a restaurant in 1976.

There is a fine dining atmosphere, with delicious food and ambiance.  I had the herb encrusted grill salmon, finished with a balsamic glaze, and served with jasmine rice and sauteed spinach, and a glass of white wine.  To add to its charm, period actors make their way around the room, reciting the words of our Founding Fathers and engaging restaurant patrons in discussions on the governance of our young, budding country!

It was so much fun getting to see Jason and watch the actors engage with people!  An amazing experience for a history nerd like me!  

After dinner we wandered around Alexandria and got ice cream nearby, just chatting and catching up.  I certainly want to go back and see more of this fascinating and historic city!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Glacier and my Marriage

One of the reasons for this trip was to shake off the painful end of my marriage and start fresh.  I don’t talk about it much, but perhaps I should.

Glacier National Park was one of the places that I had long talked about visiting with my ex-husband when we were married.  We never made it there.  At the end of our marriage, and during our divorce, I came to know another man in my husband, one so completely foreign to me that I wondered who I had actually been married to.  His behavior and his treatment of me was such a complete 180 from the early years, that I began to believe that it had all been a game to him.  I still don’t know who he really was, and I probably never will.

I would never have been able to afford this trip if I had remained married.  Getting divorced meant a level of financial (and emotional) freedom that I had not known in years.  My ex was an incredible drain on my finances, because he didn’t pull his weight financially and he was a huge spendthrift.  That was the one fight that we had over and over and over in our marriage, because his spending was bleeding us dry.  It was at the point that I was considering not allowing him to have his own credit card, and just giving him a cash allowance.  What is the point of being married to someone if you feel like you are treating them like a child?  I know he wasn’t happy with the situation either, but for whatever reason, he was just never willing to rein in the spending.

Long story short, getting divorced meant I was able to save a lot more money.  The drain on my life was gone.  Additionally, if I had still been married, he probably wouldn’t have been too keen on the idea of me taking several months away.  Let’s be honest, he probably would have wanted me to get a new job right away (or not leave the old one), so he could continue wasting all our money.

So, even though getting divorced was not what I had wanted for myself, and even though that year and a half was the most miserable time in my life so far, it was a blessing.  I am happier now that I don’t have his negativity and contempt weighing on my soul.  Someone else can have him be a drain on their finances and clean up his messes.  Someone else can listen to his lies.  I’m way better off.  I had a friend who told me that he looked at photos of my ex and me, and saw a woman trying to make it work, trying to be happy, and a man standing next to her who didn’t care about her at all.  He was right.  I don’t think my ex cared about me.  At least not at the end; I’ll never know if he ever did.

Before I went on this trip, I had never hiked alone.  Realistically though, I probably had.  My ex never actually hiked with me; instead he consistently walked between 20 and 50 feet in front of me when we went hiking.  There was rarely any interaction.  I have more pictures of his back, hiking in front of me, than I do of the two of us together.  So when I took this trip, I thought about that.  I had been hiking alone for most of my marriage.  This wouldn’t be any different – I got this.

 

Out in front at Zion National Park

Out in front at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Out in front at Rocky Mountain National Park

Out in front at Mount Rainier National Park

Out in front at Mount Baker

Out in front at Great Sand Dunes National Park

Out in front at Grand Canyon National Park

Out in front at Colorado National Monument

Out in front at Canyonlands National Park

Out in front at Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Out in front at Arches National Park

Out in front at Antelope Island

I have told the story of the hat that he gave me. That hat that he had purchased for the girlfriend he was with at the end of our marriage, then decided to give to me instead.  The Avalanche Lake hike in Glacier National Park was the first hike I wore that hat for.  I thought I would hate it, but that hat grew on me.  It was a way to turn around the past and empower myself – to find my joy.  This was just the beginning of that new life, of feeling like I could travel by myself, hike by myself, and make my own way.

Me at Avalanche Lake

Glacier was just the start…

4 Chicks and a Little Bitch: Oregon Coast

Day 1: Monday, March 26, 2018

The first day of our trip had arrived – pickup time was at 7:00.  I was ready to go with my bag packed, and camping gear in a pile.  Tent – check, sleeping bag – check, sleeping pad – check, flashlight – check, hot hands hand warmers – check!!!  So many warm clothes are necessary for a trip camping on the coast and San Francisco in March – or so we thought!!!

I got picked up shortly after 7, and a valiant effort was made to Tetris all of our stuff in the car and the rooftop box.  Believe you me, EVERY nook and cranny was filled, from the cracks alongside the puppy crate to the footwells of our seats.  We were smooshed in… 

Laura took the first driving shift and off we went, stopping for coffee to give us a boost, and then gas in Lakewood with a puppy stretch break, and then driving until we finally hit Vancouver.  We stopped at the park right near the bridge that takes I-5 into Oregon, and went for a short walk with Shaka to give her a break from the crate. 

The bridge in Oregon

This is apparently the oldest apple tree in the region – planted somewhere around 1826.

Close up of the apple tree

We settled on the Feral Public House for lunch – because well, seriously, why wouldn’t you!!!?  They had a special with a personal pizza and a beer for cheap!  So that’s what we all ended up having.  We all selected our beers, and they were all different – this was pretty much a theme for the trip – which was cool because then we could all sample what the others got.  The beer was so good, and so was the pizza. 

After we left as Feral women, we went over to Loowit to sample some more beer.  I ended up getting one of their ciders – which was amazing.  I really liked that cider!  The atmosphere was cool too, and it was pretty quiet for midday on a Monday. 

Loowit Brewery

Even though we all could have been happy just drinking beer all afternoon, we did have places to be, and couldn’t spend too many hours hanging out without even getting to Oregon, so we got back on the road and headed out for the next stretch of driving. 

It was at this point that the first murder podcast started…  My Favorite Murder – two women who research and present fascinating murders from throughout history and around the globe.  They even have a feature where listeners can write in with their own murder stories.  By “their own,” I mean murders they have heard about – not murders they have committed – I just want to make that crystal clear.  I’m not really sure what these ladies would do if someone actually wrote in confessing to a murder!

My Favorite Murder did put everybody except Brenna (who was driving) off into snooze-land – what can I say, those ladies have very melodic voices, but eventually we woke up and all enjoyed the road over to the coast, with its giant, moss-covered conifers.  It is so pretty!

We camped that first night at Beachside State Recreation area, about midway down the Oregon Coast.  The campground was awesome – flush toilets and showers (even though we didn’t use the showers), and it was only steps away from the beach.  We got our tents set up, dug out a bottle of wine and made our way to the beach to roam and watch a gorgeous sunset.  We also had to try to keep Shaka from eating some pungent seafood (we kind of failed at that…). 

Mellow Yellow all set up.

 

Puppy yawns!

Lelani on the beach

Oregon Coast in the fading light

Wine on the beach

Lelani and Shaka on the beach

Oregon Coast Sunset

After the sun went down, we had hot dogs roasted over the fire on sticks, and potato chips and chocolate for dinner.  Plus more wine and the girls had vodka cocktails.  It was a fantastic evening!  Once we went to bed, I was cold, but tucking one hand warmer into my glove and the other into my fleece pants heated me right up!  I was warm all night!  I hope whoever invented those never worked another day in his/her life – those things are genius!

Piddles and his chainsaw made a great fire

Me at the campfire

It was a fabulous first day, and I drifted off to the sound of the waves on the beach. 

 

Circus Trip 2018: In the Land of Lincoln

This morning I am in Springfield, Illinois.  I have been touring some of the Lincoln sites for the last two days, and loving it!  I did throw in a Frank Lloyd Wright house too, for good measure – it was really cool!  I am so enjoying this!

The last couple days have been hot, hot, hot – temps at 90 with high humidity, but it’s been ok.  It did mean I set up the tent because the car would have been too hot!  I have been serenaded with a cacophony of cicadas, and the birds start up about 5 am.  My earplugs come in handy!

My view on 8/6/2018 – Springfield, Illinois

Yesterday I visited Lincoln’s tomb, which is one place I didn’t get to on my only other trip to Springfield.  It was humbling to stand where Lincoln is buried (safe from the graverobbers now…).  Of course, I had to rub his nose for good luck!  I made a wish, but I can’t tell you, or then it won’t come true!

Who wouldn’t want to rub his nose for luck!? I made a wish…

I’m off to see some more sights – just wanted to update everybody on my progress!

August Already?!

Today is the first day of August. I find it a little challenging to keep track of the days, but I needed to do some banking this morning to make sure the mortgage money was in my account, as it will soon be debited…

I am in Minnesota, and have been for the last four days. I spent a couple of days relaxing and recharging in a small, mostly deserted state park in SW Minnesota called Split Rock State Park. No Wi-Fi, although there was service.

I journaled and read, sunned myself on the dock of a little reservoir lake, and watched the muskrats going about their work.

I was unexpectedly contacted by an old friend I haven’t heard from in 30 years. It was a bit of delightful serendipity.

And now, a few days later, I am having lunch and a wine tasting at Four Daughters Winery. I passed it on the road, and of course stopped. Happy accident!