Reflections

14Oct:  It has been nine days since we pulled into our driveway at the end of our whirlwind tour to California and back.  Four of those days were devoted to another trip with the camper, so we are still in the process of settling into “normal” life again.  The encore trip was to Connecticut, on the occasion of Paul’s 50-year high school reunion.  The festivities were spread out over two days, allowing bonus time for socializing as well as a leisurely walk along the Farmington River among the fall colors.  We also visited the eastern Connecticut shore village of Noank to see our friends Wayne & Hildegard, who took us hiking and to a chamber music concert one day, then walking along a Rhode Island beach the next, in superb fall weather.

Back home at last, it will take a while to establish our retirement routine, now that we are at home and don’t have to go into work.  Did we enjoy being on such a long trip?  Yes, it was great.  We would love to do it again, and hope to head out to the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies in 2017.  Next summer, though, Amy wants to stay home so she doesn’t miss a second year in a row of blueberry season and swimming in our lake.

This year we added 18 states to the number in which we have camped with the Aliner, hiked, and biked (Conn., Penn., Minn., N.D., S.D., Wyo., Ida., Nev., Calif., Ariz., Colo., Neb., Iowa, Ind., Mich., Ohio, W.Va., and Va.).  What were the highlights of our trip?  Visiting family and friends across the country was certainly high on the list.  It was also fun exploring scenic canyons, mountains, and forests, as well as learning a lot of interesting natural history and cultural history of the diverse areas we traveled through.  After nearly four months of traveling, it felt like we had barely scratched the surface of what North America has to offer.  If we had to name the one most interesting place we saw, both of us would probably vote for Mesa Verde National Park.  There were several other ancient pueblo ruins in Arizona and Colorado that were also very interesting.  Despite general similarities, each site highlighted some unique insights into ancient life in the arid Southwest.