Heading Out

I'm hitting the road tomorrow; off on a ten day trip back home to New Jersey. I haven't been "home" in about nine months. That's a long time for me. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends, dipping my feet in the ocean, smelling the salty sea air, being back where everything is familiar and comfortable, and just being "home." But I am also looking forward to the journey, being on the road. I love road trips!

On my first big road trip, back in 1997, my brother and I drove across the country from New Jersey to California, in winter. We took our time and stopped at national parks, interesting places, and anything that caught our attention. Our destination was Boulder, Colorado, where I lived for six months. But we took the long way to get there.

Once in Colorado, the road trip bug had gotten a hold of me and I headed out in my little Volkswagen Golf as often as I could. My two new friends in Boulder, Kendra and Scott, often joined me for the ride. We cruised winding mountain roads, explored new paths, and set out across the great wide open of Colorado. We spent a lot of time at Rocky Mountain National Park, as well.

After moving back home from Colorado, I took trips up and down the east coast, spending a lot of time traveling to New England. I fell in love with the countrysides of Vermont and Massachusetts and found myself driving the quiet, country roads often. I searched for places to visit on these roads and found numerous treasures along the path. Included in these was the town of Concord, Massachusetts, home of Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among others. Walking the streets in Concord where these literary legends once lived, took me back in time. I visited their homes, their gravesites, and walked the trails at Walden Pond - every step taking me further into history. I count the discovery of Concord as one of the jewels of my travels.

Maine became another love of mine as I traveled the roads of New England. I've been up and down the coast of Maine and out into the countryside. I've camped in wet tents among towering trees and hiked wandering paths in deep woods. I've seen whales, sharks, and other marine life in the icy waters off the coast. I've shopped, eaten, and walked the hilly streets of Portland. I've climbed mountains at Acadia National Park and toured Monhegan Island by foot. And of course, I've seen the lighthouses. I miss Maine - and all my adventures there - and keep the memories of my travels in Maine close to my heart.

Then, three years after the first trip to Colorado, I returned. Again, I hit the road across the country, this time on my own. Driving up and down the east coast and around New England alone was one thing, but heading out on my own to Colorado was a whole other adventure for me. This time seemed different. I was older, more experienced, and more directed in my dreams. I had a destination in mind, now, and I headed toward it with determination. Unfortunately, the destination I intended turned out to be the wrong fit, so I left Colorado after only eight months and headed back to New Jersey. But not for long.

Soon I was on the road again, back to New England, around New Jersey and New York, and out to Ohio and Indiana to visit a friend, Kendra, that same friend who joined me on road trips in Colorado. One trip to the Midwest changed my life once again and sent me in a whole new direction. At Kendra's wedding in Indiana, I met her brother, Ron and started a relationship. Unfortunately, he lived in Indiana and I in New Jersey. So I hit the road often, driving out to Indiana for visits and also meeting him halfway in Somerset, Pennsylvania. But soon the relationship grew and I decided it was time to make a move. So I headed out again, this time to Yellow Springs, Ohio to live for a year and see where this road would take me.

A year later, the road took me to Ron's home in Indiana, where I live now. And that brings me to this moment in time - living in Indiana, far from home, and ready for a road trip. So I'm heading out tomorrow. The first leg of the trip will take us to Somerset, Pennsylvania, the town where Ron and I used to meet halfway. After that, it's straight on to New Jersey on Friday. Ron flies back to Indiana on Monday and I hit the road again to Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and of course, all over New Jersey. Then a week later, I will take that long road back to Indiana, to my new home, and set a new path for myself there.

The road is waiting....and I'm ready to head out.