Overview

In three weeks, Bar (aka "Big Sis") and I will take off on another great adventure.  On May 21 or 22, we will begin the longest of the 3 trips together we will have made since 2004. The first adventure, to Alaska, was a very pleasant surprise to each of us; we rediscovered each other as adults while exploring Alaska in a rented RV. It was one week long, and I believe each of us had a ball spending quality time together.

The second trip, in 2010, was two weeks in duration, and we explored New England together. As with the inaugural trip, we continued our enjoyment of time spent together while we drove the back roads to New England. I was surprised recently, when we were talking about the trip, and I asked her what was her favorite for that trip. Her response, "Cadillac Mountain" was a shock only because that's one of my all-time favorites, too. We seem to have a lot in common in spite of spending most of our lives not being close. I guess our growing-up period, combined with our genetic makeup, make us more alike than you would expect.

It has been great getting to know Bar. While the memories of difficult times as children growing up are still fairly vivid in my mind, discovering that she and I are actually very much alike is a nice surprise. I don't know how this happens; we had almost no contact with each other for 30-odd years as young adults into early middle age. But it's true that we seem to like a lot of the same things and have many common likes and dislikes. Our politics are not congruent, but we respect each others view and actively try not to get into a philosophical argument on politics.

This adventure is planned to last "about 3 weeks", our longest trip so far. We're headed to the western part of this great nation, out to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and states in-between here and there. When we were talking about making a trip, I asked Bar "well, what do you want to see?". She responded "Everything!" So, we're going to try to "see everything"!

Before we discussed in some detail, I had assumed that we'd fly to some place like Salt Lake City, rent a car, and then fly back. When I mentioned this to her, she said "I want to drive so we can see things from the ground". So, we are driving, which is fine with me. I'm not sure she has a good feel for how far apart things are, but the way you find that out is to do it. So, we are!

A list of "sites" include: Nashville, Oklahoma City Memorial, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell NM, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Moab area, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Black Hills, Custer SP, Chief Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, Badlands, and the Corn Palace. I'm not at all sure that we can do all of these sites. But we'll sure try!

She's in for such a treat; I've been to most of these places, so they will not be "new" to me. But I've never been there with anyone I love as much as I do her, so this will be special. What I'm really looking forward to is seeing her reaction at the terrain and the beautiful places we'll visit along the way. The western USA is so different from what we're used to in North Carolina, and seeing it the first time is simply awesome. I'll have to slow down so she won't twist her head too fast trying to see everything! It's going to be a terrific trip.