I have been unusually silent these last few months due to the covid mess we are in, Donner’s multiple rushes to the hospital for one thing or another, and some pesky condo business I had to take care of. But as I have been nearing the end of those pesky condo issues, and Donner is in fine shape, my mind has started to wander back onto the road, where Donner and I both belong. While Alaska, and with it the Yukon, and all other beautiful places in between north of the Canadian border, are out of the question this year, that still leaves 3,120,000 square miles of roads, campsites, nature, dogs, and people, not to mention critters of all kind, as options to options. This is the way I plan most trips. Thoughts rush through my head, and over time my mind begins to focus on a few, and then it settles down to one choice, and that’s the trip.
Two thoughts that my mind seems to be skittering to and from these days are to drive onto Skyline Drive in the north Shenandoah and then just keep driving south until it is time to turn back, staying in any campsite that will have us. The other thought is to drive to Springfield Illinois, and from there, recreate the trail of the hapless Donner Party in 1846, hoping for a happier ending. Or perhaps another option will pop up between now and the time when I have to put “pen to paper” and start planning.
I do know one thing for sure: I miss the road, although I cannot same the same for Donner.
Ed and Donner