Driving In Circles

At least it looks that way from the map.  I am planning, or at least pointing in a direction I want to go next so I decided to map out where I've been the past three years.  It's a very low-tech mapping process, but it gave me an idea of where I've been and where I would like to visit next.

The route with the Blue arrows is the one I took in 2008, Purple for 2009 and this year is in Red.  I've covered most of the states but noticed a big hole in the Midwest.  Not that I avoided Arkansas, Oklahoma or Kansas, it's just that I didn't head in that direction for some reason.  I am currently in the New England area and as you can see, I've covered a lot of ground here.  The fall season is just amazing!  It's exactly what you see in all of the magazines depicting fall, except you get to wake up and see all of the beautiful color wherever you go each day.  I love it.

Soon I will be headed South.  A lot of people ask me what my route is or where I am planning to go next.  Fact is, I don't really know.  I try to think of a general area to head to but sometimes I will hear of something, or get a feeling which will make me change direction.  I feel some of the best moments on this journey were the ones where I wasn't planning and was a bit off course.  Some might call it being lost. I like to think of it as exploring a new area where I vaguely know exactly where I am.

Life is more interesting that way.

A Few Days In A Cabin In The Woods

I am fortunate enough to have a friend that worked really hard to restore an old cabin in the woods and now Max and I get to enjoy it for a few days.  I love being in the forest.  It is so peaceful and gives me an urge to live like this full time.  The problem I have with it is that I have a hard time relaxing.  I am used to being on the go and moving constantly so sitting still takes some practice.

The cabin doesn't have electricity or water so it's like camping in a tent with a hard shell.  I have books and magazines but when the power was low on my computer and phone, panic started to set in.  It sounds crazy, I know.  To some, bliss is hanging out alone and reading a book.  I find it hard to sit still enough to enjoy it but I am trying.  I keep thinking of "what's next" and what I need to do to work on the projects I have in mind.  It's a good time to plan what I want to accomplish on this trip and perhaps plan a little more on where I will be headed next.  I still don't really know since I try and just plan it day by day.

I took Max on some walks in the forest, took a few pictures and kept imagining that a bear would come up to the house and have tea with us.  If not a bear, I would see sasquatch hunched over, running by.  I suppose it's a good thing I have my imagination to keep me company here when there is not a soul around. I keep my camera close by just in case those things actually happen.

So, the next stop is a mystery, but I like it that way.