8 Month Tripaversary

Today is our 8 month anniversary of setting off on this Great American Road Trip of ours. It's hard to put into words how I feel about that number. In one sense it's as if we just left yesterday. In another sense it seems like We've Been Everywhere (Man!) and its about time to settle back down. All at the same time we find ourselves craving the stability and comforts of living in one place (a gym membership, running groups, a bath tub!) and then again we aren't necessarily ready to settle down in just one place.

One of the main reasons we went on this trip was to find the next place we want to live. But with all of the places we've traveled, we have yet to find THAT ONE PERFECT PLACE that meets all the criteria. So what do we do? Pick the one that seems the best of all and hope it works out? To settle in one place and put some roots down there just seems a bit scary, I guess. What if we're anxious to travel again, two weeks after signing a rental contract or after buying a home? It was hard enough to get going the first time, could we do it again? Truthfully, I think so, I'm just afraid of the What If?

On our Where We've Been page I've kept track of where we were on a certain date. To look back now each month from today and see where we were is mind boggling. Today we are in Middleboro, Massachusetts. Last month, on the 22nd, we were in Rochester, New York. August 22 we were in Grand Teton National Park. From there if we go back a month each time we were in: Portland, OR; Eugene, OR; Morro Bay, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Fredericksburg, TX. February 22 we left Fayetteville and drove the truck and trailer for the very first time to Tulsa, OK, our first destination. Scanning over the list is like running through my mind catalog, where pictures and memories pop up. I swear it seems like it took us for ever to get from Fayetteville to where we are today, but just looking at the list of places we've been makes it feel like time flew by.

So what next?

This Thursday we check out of our RV park here in New England and continue our journey south, along the Atlantic. We have the next month (through Thanksgiving, conveniently on our 9 month date!) planned out. At this point we are thinking we might be back in Fayetteville for Thanksgiving, if all goes to plan. After that? Not really sure. There are several more states that we will have not visited that I wouldn't mind going to, but winter and the cold weather are really putting a damper on the drive and motivation we have to explore. Maybe we'll hibernate for a while and then continue OR go ahead and move to that place we like the best and start a new chapter in our lives?

I'm pretty sure that no matter what we pick we'll make the most of it. I'm excited to see where we go!

Thanks for following along!

Happy Travels,

M.