Bon Voyage

We're off! So excited to escape for a month and see the magnificent beauty of this country. With my annual National Park pass in hand, I'm ready.

This adventure has been months in the making. Much thought and preparation has gone into it, including an elaborate spreadsheet with the tentative travel itinerary, miles and travel times between destinations, expected fuel expense, packing list, to do list and research notes. I also have a 3 ring binder with printed out hiking information for each of the National Parks just in case I don't have phone signal. My Garmin satellite GPS inreach Mini 2 is charged and activated.

Today I had a dentist appointment and had a filling and a temporary crown put in. My tongue, lips and chin are just now regaining feeling and, after 6 hours, can talk without slurring. I went to a holistic dentist in St Petersburg and was very happy with the care I received. They had to remove an amalgam filing so I was pleased with how careful they were in removing it in a way that minimizes mercury poisoning. Since my dental cleaning 3 weeks ago, I've had severe TMJ pain and have been living on NSAIDS and muscle relaxers as well as going to physical therapy twice a week. I'm hoping that all the efforts I'm taking will make accumulative progress and I can have a relatively pain-free trip.

While I'm away, I'm having my bathroom in my condo remodeled. The contractor started today with the demolition. I left all the new fixtures and tile neatly laid out for them. So excited to come back to a bath tub and a cool smart toilet.

I'm not traveling solo this time. So what is crazier... taking a trip out west by myself or taking a man with me that I've only known for three weeks? Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a fair amount of crazy about me. I think a life lived without taking risks is not a life fully lived. My greatest fear is to look back one day and wish that I had done something that I didn't have the courage to do.

My Doug is an amazing man, and I'm thrilled to share this venture with him. We're both hoping that this is the beginning of something very beautiful, perhaps our forever. Right now, he's driving while eating popcorn and singing Tennessee Whiskey.
To be continuedMeer informatie