Planning ...

One of the fun things about our trips is the planning beforehand.We start with the smallest of ideas and it grows from there. For 2018 we started out with thoughts of going to Pennsylvania and Ohio to see family. My sister lives in Pennsylvania and Geoff's family in Ohio.

Usually we start with a few specific points on a map and then build on that. So, beginning with my sister in Gettysburg and Geoff's family in Cleveland and Dayton we started looking at what to add. Geoff quickly came up with an experimental aircraft museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that he wanted to visit and I had in mind the Pea Ridge battle during the Civil War, the latter being a stop in Arkansas that was trimmed from our trip last year.

With these points marked on a map, we had a sort of star shaped trip with a good chunk going along interstates through Indiana up to Oshkosh and down through Illinois to Pea Ridge in the northwest corner of Arkansas. We came up with some locations on the return route through Georgia but after thinking about it realized that those were coming up at the point on a trip at which we both just sort of want to get back home and sit back in our recliners watching Wheel of Fortune!

A few days later, I mentioned to Geoffrey that we should probably do a short shakedown cruise before our longer trip and he brilliantly replied: "Why not do those Georgia places?" Of course! So the end of April we will head out for a week to the Columbus, Georgia, area. It is only 4-5 hours drive and so this time I will follow Timmber Wolf in our Outback up to the RV park we will spend the week at.

We had made a couple of other decisions by this point, the major one being that I am going to retire at the end of this tax season. For the last 11 years I have worked during tax season (January-mid April) for H&R Block doing tax preparation. During the late summer and fall I have had required training to do and for the last six or so years I have been the one leading the training. My hands and back are afflicted with arthritis which is getting worse and in another year or two, travel is going to become too uncomfortable to be enjoyable even in an RV. H&R Block will just have to do without me!

So our future holds a week long trip to the Columbus, Georgia, area; a summer trip we call OhPa (OHio-PennsylvaniA); late next fall or into winter a trip around Florida, especially the southern half including the Keys and the Everglades; and next March or thereabouts, a trip west again to Arizona and where ever else our wheels take us.

We pretty much have our stops lined out for Georgia and OHPA but Florida is still very rough with a general outline across the top to include Olustee (a Civil War battlefield), down the west coast to the Keys and the Everglades and back up the east coast to home. The trip to Arizona is almost a year away and except for time spent with my sister and my oldest son we have nothing in mind yet.

Suggestions are very welcome ... just remember we are somewhat mobility impaired so hikes and stuff like that are OUT. We are not big on art but very interested in American history especially the Civil War and vehicles, from cars to planes. That last is mostly Geoffrey but I have no objection to sitting in Wolf relaxing while he trudges around what does not interest me or at least not for long.