Family & Lazy Daze under Key West PalmsTwo weeks. Just two measly weeks was all I had to work with for our last big road trip before Tommy, our youngest, headed off to college. Between Tommy’s own cross country trip with friends after high school graduation and Andrew’s summer internship at Williams College, the summer had just disappeared. But if I could somehow have two weeks with the four of us trapped together once again on a road trip, I was determined to make it work. The West was pretty much out of the question. Three days on either end would be wasted just getting there and back home again. I was pushing for our annual tradition for the last 29 years of spending 2 weeks on Martha’s Vineyard, but I was voted down because that meant another summer of not exploring new places. We had already done the Maritime Provinces, so the only thing really left that fit the timeframe and the goal of seeing something new was a tour of the Southeast. Now let me tell you that I must really love being with my family, because the idea of bringing my “hot flashes” and “warm moments” to the heat and humidity of Florida in August was at first glance not very inviting.

Usually I jump into trip planning with gusto and enthusiasm, but I just wasn’t feeling it. My initial plan was to visit the Great Smoky Mountains, because it was a major national park that I had heard some very wonderful things about and one which we had not yet visited. However, after much research and discussions with park rangers, I learned that the extremely high traffic in the summer really makes it difficult to get around in just an RV (we don’t tow a car). When asked about the trailhead parking with an RV, one kind ranger that I managed to get on the phone kept repeating over and over again how “I ought to get a hitch. That way I could tow a car behind it.” I explained to him that I understood what a hitch was, but we chose not to tow a car behind us. After a few more attempts on explaining to me the merits of a hitch, we agreed to disagree and parted amicably. I headed to the library for travel books on Florida.

It took a little more time than usual, but I gradually did get that feeling of excitement that hits me when I’m trip planning and the tingle of anticipation that comes with the thought of hitting the road once again.

Was I right about it being too hot – you bet, but I spent so much time in the ocean cooling off that my body is just starting to dewrinkle now.