SOUTHWEST to SOUTHEAST Feb 9,2014

We are getting ready to launch tomorrow morning from Santa Fe, New Mexico, our home base, on yet another road trip to a few destinations and parts unknown.  I had the opportunity early this morning to read a terrific article by David Abram that appeared originally in the September/October issue of Orion magazine. It was entitled “The Air Aware - Mind and Mood on a Breathing Planet.”  Because of my continuing connections with the cycles and seasons, this kind of rumination stirs something in my own soul.  My first response was this is one more reason I appreciate being able to travel to other places and absorb the changes in the climate and culture.

Our itinerary for this next travel adventure will take us east, through the panhandle of Texas, interesting for the big change as we leave the mountains and desert of the great Southwest.  We have stopped a couple of times at Palo Duro Canyon and if you get bored sometime on Interstate 40 near Amarillo, go there.  It’s worth it.  It’s the second largest canyon in the United States, has some great mountain biking and hiking trails, and you can even rent horses.  The canyon itself is 120 miles long and as wide as 20 miles with a maximum depth of 800 feet.   It’s a camper’s paradise but you can make it a day trip too.

At the end of the first day, the way be clear and no diversions, we should make Oklahoma City and then the next day on to the very northeast corner of Oklahoma where we lived for a few years on Grand Lake.  Our purpose in going there is not to re-visit the lake but to exchange our motor home for another, somewhat larger one since we are living full time in this house on wheels.  That will take a couple of days and a shakedown cruise before we leave the factory where this particular brand is constructed. 

We like the mobility, freedom and independence that comes with this life-style and have enjoyed it off and on for the past 15 years.  We have been all over the United States, parts of Canada and Mexico and were almost three months in Mexico last winter.  Our original plan this year was to be in Mexico again for January and February but because of issues with some extended family members, that trip did not materialize.  And we sold our house in early January and became “homeless” as far as real estate is concerned.

After Oklahoma, it’s a stop in Arkansas for some work there and on to Orlando, Florida, for a national conference meeting at the end of the month.  March will find us in Key West and as we motor our way from Southwest to Southeast one thing is certain.  We will welcome warmer temperatures, tropical winds, the salt air and ocean.  By April or May we will be ready to go back to the high desert and lower humidity of the Southwest but in the meantime we shall absorb a variety of climates and cultures that add to the rich tapestry of our travel experiences.