Hello fellow travelers and all who follow my adventures. I am rested and ready (nearly) to start 2020 and new adventures. I’ll be on the Texas Gulf coast enjoying warm weather and sea breezes for January and February. I wanted to be somewhere I would enjoy and I love my beach time. I need a place with peace and quiet and few distractions so I can write. I am finishing the last of the edits and rewrites on my debut novel – Ruth, which will come out this spring. 2020 is my year of being driven by writing, not driving. I’ll still travel for sure! But I may be in park for more time than in drive.
2019 was a really good year. My bookend time in Austin was great – 5 months on the front and 1 month on the back. I enjoy this place and have good memories. I thought I would give you a quick reflection of the year – jam packed with lots of places, impressions, experiences, and miles. If you haven’t noticed, I put up a new page on this blog – Destinations. I mapped out and chronicled my stops. I traveled about 5600 miles point-to-point this year. That’s about 2000 miles less than my first year. The “slower” pace really works for me.
Florida To Texas for body repairs – the Airstream, not me. I had a big operator error the end of 2018 and decided to go to Texas for the body work, mainly because me and Inky would have a place to stay. We traversed the dreadful I-10 corridor from FL to TX and landed in Austin. Had no clue it would take 5 months to complete the repairs, but I finished the novel and got my travel article gig going. I would say it was time well spent! I kept writing all year. Check out my page More of My Writing and Pics for links to my other writing and Instagram. I made some day trips while in TX too.
Hill Country 
Waco – Magnolia 
Baseball in TX! 
LBJ Ranch
Summer Camp in Wisconsin – In June I headed to Chicago for a visit and got to see the Frank Lloyd Wright – Robie house. That was a huge treat along with a Cubs game! Then on to Wisconsin for my camp hosting post in Spring Valley, WI at Highland Ridge Campground. I have swooned for the Army Corps of Engineers. Great people, great parks, low price. I managed to squeeze in a day trip flying to Denver and back to see a dear friend receive a very prestigious award. I travel in good company.
The Cathedral 
Robie House 
WI Summer Camp 
Camp Host Spot 
Highland Ridge 
Denver trip 
The beauty of Spring Valley, WI
My mini-getaway – I drove to Lake Superior to mark off number 4 of the 5 Great Lakes I’ve been to. It was a great northern trek, followed by visits in Chicago and a flight to Florida to have some time with old friends. I tried out Harvest Hosts and enjoyed the offbeat stays at wineries.
Northern WI 
Lake Superior 
Inky by the Lake 
The Big Gitche Gumee
Fall Camp and Travel – I stayed one more month at Highland Ridge where I tended to some skin cancer and other maladies. All good now. I managed to get out before the first freeze, barely. Fall is often rainy in the Midwest and this year was no exception. I did a somewhat soggy tour of the Louis Sullivan Jewel Box banks in MN and Iowa which was a bucket list item for me. They were worth spending a little time in the rain.
Fall Colors 
Fall at Highland Ridge 
The genius of Louis Sullivan 
Kansas City Here I Come – I stayed in the Lawrence, KS/ Kansas City, MO area for a few weeks. I used to live there and have a lot of friends to visit and just hang out for a while in familiar surroundings. I find that to be an essential element of my nomadic life. I need touchstones. I then started making my way to the South by way of Land Between the Lakes and on to Nashville. These were two great stops and I would do them again just for the parks. But cold weather kept nipping at my heels. I kept moving south.
KC Kitsch 
My camp spot 
Another great ACE Park 
Nashville camping was beautiful
Civil Rights On My Mind – I had anticipated this trip for a year and finally I made it to Alabama. I took in Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Jackson, MS and a plantation in Louisiana. Please read my posts on those adventures. For me, they were profound.
Montgomery ACE Camp 
beautiful spot 
Montgomery 
Whitney plantation – LA 
Back “Home” to Texas – I get my mail through an RV group that is HQed in Texas – Escapees. I guess I am one. I stayed at the park to see the place and to break up the trip to Austin. I enjoy being parked from Thanksgiving to New Years. But I did make a trip via plane to visit family in Seattle a week before Christmas, just in time to see my brand new great nephew! I’ve enjoyed my time here in TX, parked in my friend’s driveway and staying in the house with 4 walls and many rooms for Inky to wander. But the clock is winding down the decade, the year, and my time here in Austin.
Inky 
Mt. Si in the clouds 
Mount Baker on a clear day
Enjoy your 2020 – I never thought I would get here because as a kid it seemed so distant, like a far away star. And now I’m here looking forward to the next decade. So here’s to Auld Lang Syne – Scottish to English means times gone by. Let’s tip a cup to the future, but be mindful that the only thing that really is, is the moment you are in.
I don’t often post pics of me, but here is my 2019 progression…
LBJ homestead 
Leaving Austin! 
Enjoying a brew 
camp host with a bicycle 
Eau Gallie Recreation Area 
Eau Gallie 
Fun in Florida 
Back on the Road 
I was excited to be there 
Land Between the Lakes 
Enjoying another great park 
Not me, but I love this steer 
Montgomery (with no skin cancer and a clear face, yeah!)
coast 2 coast and then some 
Love the pictures, especially the one of you and Inky.. Thanks for sharing. Safe travels
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