Changing things up

I just finished yet another of my semi-annual trips between Oregon and Arizona. This is my 5th or 6th year doing this drive. I have driven straight through 2 times, and have stayed in dinky motels that accept pets more often. The last one on Saturday I reserved at 3 am and arrived at 10 pm. It is in a tiny roadside town called Hawthorne, NV. Run by an Indian family, the ENTIRE place smells like curry. Not a bad smell, just not something I want to hit me in the face every time I breathe in. When I smelled the front office at check-in, all the memories from my last 7-8 hour stay hit me hard.

In a previous post, I wrote about the benefits of a good travel partner. I usually do the drive alone, with my dogs, one of which has major motion sickness. On the trip with said good travel partner, we turned a 19.5 hour ride into a 6 day adventure. We drove from Phoenix to Malibu and then up the Cali coast. We spent the night in Ventura and searched out a highly recommended brewery. We drove through Solvang (where the wine cult classic Sideways was filmed), and checked out the town center before the wine rooms were opened. We drove up the coast through Big Sur, stayed in Carmel for 2 days, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sonoma. Checked out dog friendly vineyards and wine rooms in Napa and Sonoma and was even labeled "bougie" because I buy too much wine but don't drink it. And I developed an appreciation for the man bun on a guy who wore it well. We drove up into the Redwoods, and then on into a town with a hotel that was 100 ft above sea-level (the waves were so close!). There it was so windy that people crossed the streets backwards. The next day we drove up the Oregon coast and arrived in Salem at dinner time. We were hungry and were talking about food from our youth for hours. I put a grocery order in while driving and we had sloppy joes, carrots, ruffled potato chips and really good wine for dinner.

What could have been another mind-numbing, fatigue-inducing drive became an adventure. And as I drove this past Saturday and Sunday it occurred to me to begin to do these trips in a different way. I listened to 2 great books on audible. I took pics of things for future paintings. I was curious yet heartbroken to see the Sierras totally burned out. And I saw some just downright weirdness while driving the interstates. But once home I started to think about the long drive next May. Could I drive to Lake Tahoe and spend a few days exploring? What about stopping at Klamath Falls or Crater Lake. There are small towns in Nevada that I think would be interesting to stop in, explore, take photos and talk with some locals.

The point is that I am always self-imposing a schedule. Why race up the interstates at 85 mph? Will the g-babies be less excited if my arrival is later than expected? I am excited about an open-ended itinerary and making more stops on the way. I am often inspired by the quirky things I see and the beauty of nature all around. Slowing down will allow for better pictures, more complete experiences, and good memories of places off the beaten path. I am certain my car sick Wendy will appreciate it more.

I am glad to be back in Phoenix, and excited for my upcoming month in Europe painting. And I have a few other trips planned this winter. But once May roles around, I will be planning my drive north with the intention of slowing down and savoring the journey. I won't have the Oregon house forever. I want to be sure to enjoy the ride and take in everything. And now I have qued up in my mind the Seals and Croft song "We May never pass this way again". 🎤🎹🎼🎸😎