2019 – New Travels, New Stories

Hello everyone! I know I have been MIA for several months and I want to catch you up on my own journey and where I’m headed.

I did a seven week stay in central Florida, seeing old friends, taking care of business, and hanging out at the beach. Orlando was my home for several years prior to my Airstream journey and in my earlier life, I spent several decades living in Florida; so it’s one of my homes. Snowbirding in Florida has its rewards!

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I had some emotional life challenges while there. Principally, the death of a close friend in Orlando gave me great pause. I had intended to get back to writing on January 1, but his death put that on hold. What that life event gave me is perspective. I am continuing on my Airstream travel journey and I am rebranding what I do. I am really excited to share it with you now.

New momentum is required in our life journey to feed our soul, to fulfill a purpose, and to squeeze out as much enjoyment as possible. My purpose is to share with you, the world, and to raise our mutual understanding. I do that through my lifelong commitment to social justice. I am passionate about it and believe that this is a time in our existence when we need a more useful understanding of ourselves and our fellow travelers on this planet. That is the purpose of my 2019 journey.

Civil Rights Tour of the South

My first new effort is a tour of sites in LA, MS, AL, GA, and TN to bring awareness to the struggle for civil rights and where we are today. I’ll bring you several new features to go along with the familiar travelogue and photo format that I have used. I am working on the format now, so stay tuned! I also will be highlighting non-profit and advocacy organizations along the way. For instance, one is the Equal Justice Institute in Montgomery where the new National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened as a dedication to the history of lynching. EJI’s director is Brian Stevenson (no relation), the author of Just Mercy which is a fantastic read on revealing injustices in death row cases in Alabama. I think this addition of highlighting organizations will be a unique contribution this blog can make.

I’ll be traveling slower this year, covering fewer miles per week and spending more time in each location. My first six months were jam-packed and it’s a pace I can’t sustain, lol. In February, I’ll be taking on a more familiar trip, traveling in Texas and visiting the amazing state parks there. Texas is like California, very diverse climate, terrain, and people. I think the only constants are love of the state and a taste for the spicy! But I’ll add an element of the new purpose as well by featuring more stories of people I encounter. Understanding begins with communication, not politics. That’s a new lesson for me as a political scientist!!!

Right now the Airstream is getting some repairs, some maintenance and upkeep, so I’m staying in a house and enjoying the hospitality of Austin, TX. I’ll post again starting in February and you may see a new look on this blog. Trying out some new themes and styles. See you then!!

Some additional pics from my December/January travels are below. Enjoy! And don’t forget – you can follow my pics on Instagram – @robynes

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Finally, I was featured as one of a number of travelers in a story in USA Today on December 28, 2018. What fun!! It’s a photo essay titled, “Airstream Addicts: Aluminum RVs with the owners who love them.”